De Cruce Apostolica
by Janika
Summary: 2 months after Ed and Al came to Earth World War II is in full swing and refugees are fleeing Germany. When the Elrics rescue someone, they find out she's different from anyone else on Earth. And Hohenheim's legacy continues to live on... possible ExR
1. Found and Lost

_**De Cruce Apostolica**_

**I have accepted Qoheleth's Malachy Challenge and he gave me a title in Latin to inspire a story: **_**De Cruce Apostolica**_** means **_**Of the Apostolic Cross**_**. As opposed to my other fics, I tried to delve into religious overtones (mainly b/c with a title like that I can't avoid it) but since I've never done this before I might not do it very well.**

**Anyway this is based just 2 months after events in the FMA movie but I had to do a major time-jump. Whereas the movie was based in 1923 when Hitler was imprisoned, I chose to place this story in 1938 right after Czechoslovakia was taken over by Germany as if no time has passed. Just pretend.**

**Chapter 1: Found and Lost**

_How did we happen to meet that one day, in that place, while I was seeking an answer to that question, and at that precise moment? Perhaps I will never know the methods or the reason, but what I do know is that there is no such thing as coincidence._  
_**from the journal of Hohenheim written a week prior to his death**_

Munich was filled with people crowding together in the streets near the market and nearby shops. The small streets seemed smaller because of the hulking buildings rising two or three stories up above them and casting shadows. Added to the traffic of cars, bicycles and pedestrians it felt like being crammed in an anthill. Not to mention the noise.

Two teenage boys strolled along, unimpressed by the wares and the people, though as Edward Elric passed a mechanic shop he glanced in with a trace of nostalgia.

"Looking for someone?" his brother, Al, asked suggestively from behind.

"You kidding? I was just looking to see if they had anything worth my money. I'll need some oil pretty soon to keep from squeaking." He flexed his right arm experimentally, but the metal joints hidden beneath long-sleeved shirt and gloves were as silent as a real arm would have been.

Al scoffed at him. "You really think I believe a pathetic excuse like that? Winry didn't make your arm and leg to break. You have months yet before they even start to give you any real trouble. Admit you were looking for her, not oil."

"It wouldn't be her," he replied under his breath before moving on, hands in the pockets of his brown trench coat.

Parallel worlds. It was the simplest explanation for seeing people he knew in a different place, under different circumstances. Familiar faces, unfamiliar people. Even if he had found Winry, she might not be a mechanic or she might not have that fierce temper that was always foremost in his memory. He couldn't imagine that tall blond girl without the temper, though, and he didn't want to.

So maybe it was a good thing that he hadn't met her on Earth.

"Where do you think we can find Noah? She was supposed to meet us a week ago. You don't think she got caught, do you?"

"She's too smart for that, even if she wasn't a psychic. All she was supposed to do was help some of her gypsy friends get out of Munich. I have a hunch on where to look, so it's not like we're just roaming the streets randomly."

"Knowing you, Brother, that's exactly what I'd expect your plan to be."

Ed steamed. "Well this time I actually know where I'm going, alright?! Noah told me about a safe place gypsies in Munich usually go when there's danger. We just have to find our way there. I think we take this way."

He turned down an alley near a bakery and at once deep shadows enveloped them. They passed several people, all of whom shrank away from them. The brothers silently regretted appearing so German. No one they wanted to associate with trusted them.

The connecting alleys all seemed the same, and after a quarter of an hour Al was pretty sure that they'd gotten nowhere close to the gypsy hideout. He was ready to open his mouth and denounce Ed when he caught sight of a young brunette girl staring. It wasn't so uncommon, but her eyes were _fixed_ on him. When she noticed his returning gaze she hid her face shamefully.

"What are you boys doing here?" a familiar voice asked from behind.

They turned around to see Noah carrying a covered basket beneath her arm. Despite the German clothes she wore, nothing could disguise the tanned skin or the raven-dark hair spilling down her back.

"I told you to stay away," she said without any trace of delight in seeing their faces again.

"Wow. Ed, I guess you were right. We were going the right way."

Relief was evident on his face and he grinned. "See? I told you I knew exactly where to go."

"I've been trying to get out of Munich for days. Only three of my friends are here, but without passports we can't take the train and no one will give us a lift without payment. Look, it's dangerous! Gestapo has been after lots of groups lately, including the gypsies, and they won't stop to ask why you're with us if we do get caught."

"You think that scares me?"

Noah stamped her foot and nearly dropped the basket. "Edward, I'm serious!"

His brother nodded in agreement. "She's right. It's safer outside the city."

"Al, are you saying we should just leave her?"

"No. I'm just saying we shouldn't get caught, in which case we'd better make plans for leaving. The sooner the better." He stepped aside to let someone by and only after the person had brushed past did he realize it was the girl that had been staring at him.

Abruptly Ed shot after her yelling, "Hey, you! That's my brother's!"

The girl broke into a run and darted toward the main road. The young man was right on her heels, nearly within reach of her when she made it to the bustling street and took a sharp left. Ed skidded to a sudden halt to avoid being hit by a car and swept his eyes about, trying to locate the pickpocket. There came a shout from a vendor half a block away and he caught sight of the girl's dark brown hair. Noah and Al came up just as he took off again yelling at her to stop.

He saw a man in uniform seize her by the arm, effectively preventing her escape. The three pursuers approached to see a very frightened girl cringing from the man shouting rapid German in her face. Noah covered her mouth and stepped back a few steps when she noticed the red band with its swastika on his left arm. Luckily his attention was elsewhere.

"She stole something from my brother," Ed interrupted fearlessly.

The Nazi turned a derisive gaze on him and sneered. Without uttering a word he yanked his prisoner toward Ed, but as she stumbled a necklace slipped outside the loose collar of her blouse. The man's grip tightened and he grabbed the swinging crucifix with nearly a poisonous response that bespoke some private abhorrence.

"What's this? A thief **and** a Catholic! You won't be roaming the streets anymore, girl." His sadistic smirk was cruel enough for her to choke out a sob and try to pull away. The Nazi's gloved hand only tightened more and a tear slid from the corner of her eye as he began to drag her away.

Ed had heard enough whispers to know where this man would take her. Prison camps were stationed out in the countryside and rumors had it that they had furnaces to burn their dead so no one would find the remains.

"Brother," Al murmured, casting a meaningful glance at the girl.

Ed gave a slight nod of his head and strode to catch up with the captor and his prisoner. "Hey, she still has my brother's property! Or are _you_ planning on stealing it yourself once you're out of sight?"

He spun around ready to tell the impudent kid what he thought, but a solid steel fist hit him with enough force to throw him a few yards back and land on the street, senseless. The girl dropped to the ground covering her head, but Al pulled her up again and they began running back toward the alley. He threw a few words at his brother as they sprinted.

"You could have done that more discreetly! And you didn't have to hit him in the jaw."

"That jerk deserved it, Al!"

The whole block turned to look at the unconscious SS officer and his attackers. Several people were already shouting and raising fists. A couple even stepped in to block their way, and Al joined his sibling on the offensive. They cleared the way for the two girls and escaped under the eyes of a hundred spectators, but even after they were in the shadows of the alleys they didn't stop. Noah guided them along a twisting maze of backstreets until the shocked noises of the crowd were left far behind.

The rescued girl dropped to the ground and breathed hard when they finally rested. With tempest-gray eyes she stared at the three strangers standing over her. "Why? Why did you help me get away? I stole from you and you don't care?"

Al knelt down to her eye-level and held out an open palm. "It wouldn't be stealing if you returned it."

After a moment of stunned silence she placed a pocket watch carved with the symbol of Amestris's flag in his hand.

Ed crossed his arms and grunted. "I knew she took something. Didn't Colonel Mustang give you that before you—" he shot a wary gaze toward the thief and then finished, "—_followed_ me here?"

The younger boy closed his fingers about the watch and stood up. There was no anger in his features. Only a sort of calm understanding. "It's silver. She could have sold it to survive. I don't blame her."

"That's not why," the girl said. "The engraving. I saw a picture just like it once."

The two teenage boys stared quizzically at her, too surprised to say anything more than, "_What?_"

Instead of answering her face grew pale and she staggered to her feet. "Oh no!"

They followed her gaze and saw half a dozen Nazis running down the long alleyway. Their gray-green uniforms with the red armbands were easily identifiable. Instantly all of them were fleeing in the opposite direction. As they turned a corner and headed toward another junction the girl stumbled and nearly pitched to the ground but Noah reached back to help.

The moment the psychic's hand touched the stranger's skin, her pupils dilated to see something with her second sight. Her basket dropped to the ground as she gasped and this time the girl had to help Noah keep upright. She pulled away and leaned suddenly against a wall, eyes closed and breathing hard. The others stopped too. A few seconds later she looked around. There were three alleys to choose from, one bordered by a filthy water channel.

Turning to her friend she grasped his real arm and pointed to the girl. "Take care of Gina, Ed! She makes it work! The watch, key, crux, home, the—the—" she said all in one breath, then paused to find words for a concept she couldn't quite understand. Noah's grip tightened as she grew desperate. Their pursuers could already be heard. "_The apostolic cross!_ Now hide!"

Immediately she gave him a shove and he flew backward into the canal. Al and the girl she had called Gina stared at her while Ed sputtered in the water. She gestured wildly for them to get into the water and they would have refused if the seriousness hadn't been so apparent in her face. The former thief was first to obey and dove in without a word.

Yet the other Elric stepped closer. "Noah—"

"Go or I will kill you myself!" she nearly screamed as she pushed him away. "Do you hear what I'm saying?"

She ran then. Al had no choice but to join the other two in the channel. The tromp of heavy boots and cries to halt from the angry Nazis were upon them. All together they breathed deeply and hid beneath the surface of the cloudy water. Most likely they would never want to find out exactly what they were swimming in, but at the moment the only thoughts in their minds were focused on Noah's words and staying concealed.

Gina heard nothing besides rushing water in her ears and the pounding heart from within. Her hands gripped a mooring chain, but it seemed that the seconds of roaring water and throbbing heartbeats drew out into minutes. Fear gripped her mind, speeding her heart and slowing her wits. She was starving for air!

Her fingers loosened and she strove to reach the surface. But cold metal seized her wrist in a grip that dragged her down! Fear turned to panic and she screamed air bubbles while striking out with water-softened blows. The ineffectual attack only served to darken her eyes and fill her lungs with water.

:Q:

Gina became aware of harsh pressure on her chest. Someone cupped her chin and she suddenly coughed, spewing foul water everywhere. After a few moments of disorientation she recognized the boy leaning over her as the one she'd stolen the watch from.

"You alright?" he wondered with some relief.

"Yeah, I guess. Something grabbed me." She felt embarrassed that he would be concerned about someone like her. Especially after their initial meeting.

"That would be Ed. He saw you trying to reach the surface and pulled you back. I guess his hand surprised you."

She looked over at the young man where he leaned up against a wall, arms folded and a sullen look on his face. He pointedly avoided looking at her. Gina stared in astonishment at the glint of metal between his glove and sleeve.

"What is that?!"

"Automail," Edward growled, still not returning her gaze. "And if you keep gawking at it I'll show you how much it can hurt!"

"Brother, that's rude."

He turned on Al viciously, swinging one accusing finger toward Gina. "Those Nazis caught Noah thanks to _her!_ Do you think I'm going to ignore that?"

"I didn't mean for any of this to happen...but how did she know my name?"

Al ran fingers through his hair as he debated how best to answer her question but Ed beat him to it. "Let's just say our friends tend to be extraordinary and leave it at that. Now let's get out of here. We're not far from that channel and we've gotta keep moving." He turned to face Gina for the first time. "I will protect you, but only because she wanted me to. Got that? No other reason."

He spun about and headed off. His brother helped Gina to her feet and they followed.

"You don't have to listen when he gets like that," Al apologized. "He's afraid for Noah. We both are. My name's Alphonse Elric but everyone calls me Al, and I guess you've already figured out he's my brother, Ed."

"Gina Matusek," she replied softly.

_War and pain in and of themselves give birth to nothing. Perhaps my original theory on the source of Alchemy was based on guilt. It is an act of metamorphosis using a science related to re-creation rather than destruction, which means its source should be something life-giving instead of life-taking. What am I missing...?_  
_**from the journal of Hohenheim 2 years prior to his death**_

**For those of you who have read my other stories, **_**yes**_** it's another OC-based fic. I like those kind. And since I haven't finished writing the whole thing yet, this one will probably take a long time to update. But I'm working on it.  
Now, one thing that bothered me in the movie was how they caught Envy-dragon. (Ok, nets I can understand, but driving **_**spears**_** into him? That's going **_**way**_** too far!) How would you have done it?**


	2. Protectors

**Chapter 2: Protectors**

_Recently I discovered the thesis of a biologist who lives in Czechoslovakia. I am intrigued. He refers to one of his supporting arguments as Infinite Singularity. The concept is almost laughable from my standpoint, familiar as I am with the two worlds, but perhaps I am being too close-minded. I wonder if I should visit this man and try to understand his whole idea and not merely what he wrote.  
__**from the journal of Hohenheim 1 year and 3 months prior to his death**_

The wind howled mournfully through the streets, making the leaves on a tree just outside a window quake. Gina raised a finger to touch the glass and the warmth from her skin spread in a misty glaze around it.

Ed's metal hand startled her when he placed it on her shoulder. "Now I think it's about time you explained how you recognized my brother's watch. That symbol is practically nonexistent here, so where could you have seen it?"

She stood up to get away from the disturbing limb. "I'm sorry but I don't remember. It was too long ago. I can't even recall who had it. It didn't seem important at the time."

She couldn't help lying. How did she know she could trust either of them despite what they had done for her? The alchemist made a disgruntled noise and stalked to the other side of their rented room. His brother sighed and approached their guest to smooth things over.

"What's wrong with him?" she asked quietly.

"He just doesn't like not getting answers. He's used to it, though, so don't take it personally."

"Not that. I mean..." she glanced over to make sure he wasn't listening, "...his arm."

"Oh _that!_ Hey brother, she wants to know about your automail."

Gina blushed fiercely at being found out by the subject of her question.

Al continued conversationally, "His left leg is also like that. And I wouldn't say there's anything wrong with them. Lots of people have—"

"_Al,_" the taller boy interrupted forcefully, "why don't you let me answer questions about myself?"

"Sorry." He seemed to grope for something else to say to Gina. "Where are you from? You don't have a German accent."

"Neither do you," she returned. "I'm Slovak."

"You mean you're from Czechoslovakia?"

There was a sudden iciness in her composure. "I mean I'm _Slovak_. The Czechs hardly have anything in common with us. My family still calls our country by its rightful name."

The patriotic pride withered abruptly and she sat down again, her eyes slowly returning to the window where a smudged fingerprint still lingered on the glass.

The boy beside her sensed the painful sadness. "What happened to them?"

"My father spoke out against the Führer and being a practicing Catholic didn't help. They hid me in a compartment under my bed when Gestapo came two weeks ago. My parents told them that I'd already been sent away." Her knees slid up and she hugged them to her chest. "I'm never going to see them again. Never."

The last was said in a whisper that betrayed the fears and hopelessness of a lost child.

Al touched her arm reassuringly. "We'll take care of you."

Turning her head so that brown tresses hid her expression from him, Gina murmured, "I don't like being alone."

"But why did you come to Munich?" Ed had grown curious in spite of himself. "This is the heart of the country you should be trying to avoid, isn't it? So why are you here? What are you looking for?"

"Someone I met a long time ago. The letters he sent came from Munich, but the address doesn't exist anymore. The building was torn down. I don't know where to look...and I hope he's not dead." There was almost a certainty behind her words that she knew otherwise. "And if I can't find him I'll never find out..." she trailed off and replaced her feet on the floor, then pulled a pair of keys out of her pocket.

"Did he send those to you?"

Her hand tightened around them and she nodded after a pause. "There was no explanation. He begged me to come to Munich for something important and this was all he gave me."

"May I see them?"

After she relinquished the near-identical keys, he inspected the numbers inscribed into the metal. Flipping them over, the younger Elric noticed letters. "I have no idea what they're for. Maybe we can ask someone. Ed, who do you think might know something about these?"

"I know someone who used to work for a locksmith. I'm sure he can help. But it would be best for us to stay indoors for a few days unless we absolutely have to leave. Those Nazis we assaulted will be searching for us."

Gina took back her keys. "Where may I sleep?"

"Take my bed," both Elrics volunteered at the same time, both seemingly nonchalant.

She glanced between them. "Uh...I'll just take whichever one's closer to the door."

As soon as she was gone Ed walked to Al's side. "Two months and you're still not used to Earth's most obvious differences."

His brother sighed. "Look, it was an accident. She wanted to know about your automail and I didn't see any reason to hide it. _You_ had to explain it more than once during the years we searched for the Philosopher's Stone. It didn't seem like a big deal."

"It is now. Remember that."

:Q:

Noah wrapped her arms around her torso to keep warm but it didn't help. Once again, staring at the dismal bars caging her in, she wondered if she'd done the right thing in protecting the stranger. Ed and Al had no way to discover the information she'd gleaned from the barest touch, and even Gina herself had no idea.

Had she thrown her life away for nothing?

"It's true," came the voice of an SS officer in the room outside the cell. "That's the girl I caught. She was wearing a crucifix and I was ready to bring her in when a short kid attacked me."

"So she is in Munich."

Noah's head shot up. That voice! Gina's memory—

"Hello, my dear."

A well-dressed man stood at the door of her jail cell staring with shrewd dark eyes. He looked to be in his sixties, but was by no means a kindly grandfather. There was a picture in his hand which he held up for her to see.

"You know this girl."

It wasn't a question. Gina's smiling face gazed at her from the photo.

"Where is she?"

The gypsy refused to say a word.

"Who is she with?"

Still she remained quiet.

The man sighed tolerantly. "I have more forceful means of extracting information. They say you are the gypsy psychic named Noah, therefore you know the truth of my words."

"Yes," she whispered. She didn't even need her power to know, not that she could. There was certainty in his voice beyond any doubt.

"I want to know what you know about the other world."

Surprised by the topic, she blurted out, "How do you know—?"

Instantly she wished she could have taken back the words, but it was too late. Already having betrayed herself, she added bitterly,

"The Thule Society already knows everything I do. Why do you need me?"

The memory of her attempt to aid them was painful enough. She'd used knowledge from Edward's mind to try to make a Gateway to Amestris, her desire to go there was so strong...but in the end she'd still been trapped here. At least Ed had returned, joined by his brother.

It was a disappointment and a joy at the same time.

"The Thule Society?" the man laughed. "They're a mongrel pack of small-minded idealists. They sought to use the world beyond the Gate to bring technology here, and even tried to destroy the place. Did they truly have no idea what to do with such a world? Weak fools."

One of the SS officers came in and addressed the man. "_Herr_ Richter, the girl will be transferred to your facility by tomorrow."

He stepped back. "Fair enough. In the meantime close down all the roads. No one but military personnel leaves or enters Munich. She won't be able to get away from us this time."

Once he was gone Noah slumped where she was. "Run, Ed. Don't come looking for me. Take her and go."

She knew he wouldn't.

:Q: _Two days later _:Q:

The morning sun broke over Munich's buildings and shone through the window with a painful glare on the Elric brothers. A diagram of a building was laid out on the table before them. Ed was pointing to a spot on one side but Al kept shaking his head hopelessly.

"Brother, that's the same problem as all the other options: we'd be caught. Even if we could enter undetected, there's no way we could get into a locked room on the fourth floor without being spotted. Not to mention all the alarms and the safe."

The alchemist slammed his metal fist down and yelled, "What do you suggest?! We've been trying to figure out how to get into that building for days. We know _exactly_ where Huskisson's bomb is! We just can't reach it."

Ed was referring to a maniac they had confronted back on Amestris who had created a bomb out of a newly-discovered element called uranium. The fool had attempted to defeat the Elrics by using Alchemy to fuse dead men with machines, thereby having a small army of mindless, invincible slaves. But instead he'd been pulled into the Gate for trying to cross that forbidden line between life and death. Recently they'd found out that the man had died shortly after the harsh crossing to Earth, but the uranium bomb had made it through unharmed. Huskisson had enough life left in him to tell people about the place he was from and describe his weapon, but that was all.

Now it was in the hands of Nazis, and Ed knew it was their job to destroy it any way they could. If they could find a way to get to it.

Al bowed his head. "I have no idea. It's an impenetrable military facility and the only way to get in is for them to let us." He kicked a stool irritably. "If we could use Alchemy this would be so simple!"

"Now you know how I've felt the last two years," his elder sibling said.

"What's Alchemy?"Gina asked behind them.

"Oh, did we wake you up? Sorry about that," Al apologized as he folded the map quickly. "Breakfast is over there. Marmalade on toast and soft-boiled eggs. I think there might be a couple of those super-hard rolls left too."

She folded her arms. "Why don't you just answer me?"

After two days of being cooped up in the same place with them, she'd gotten over her initial shyness. Of course she was still less comfortable around Ed due to his dismissive attitude around her. She would have confronted him about it if she wasn't so wary about his artificial limbs. They made him almost too strange to associate with properly.

The question hung in the air as she stood there pretending to be more at ease than she really was.

Al glanced at Ed but his brother motioned for him to answer. "Uh...it's a bit hard to describe. I guess you could say it's a science about changing the properties of objects. Some people believe in it."

"People like you?"

"You could say that."

She shrugged and gave a short laugh before sat down, wholly unconcerned with such superstitions. Her comfort level suddenly dropped as she turned toward Ed to address him. "Um, you didn't happen to visit that man about the keys last night, did you?"

"He told me they're for safety deposit boxes and he even knew which bank. It's on the other side of Munich, so if we go we'll have to be careful not to be seen." He leaned back in the chair to look at her. "But I also have some bad news. The roads have been completely shut down. Civilians can't go in or out of the city."

"Maybe they'll be open by the time we finish here. They can't keep the whole city from moving, can they?" she wondered. Neither boy answered so she nervously posed a different question. "A-Are we going to the bank today?"

"The two of us are. You are staying here."

She shot up out of the chair, eyes wide. "What?! Why? What if something happens? How will I know? You can't leave me here alone!" She turned to Al and grabbed his hand. "You said you'd take care of me! Please don't go..."

As her pleading voice trailed off, the brothers looked at each other. Ed snorted and shook his head, giving in.

An hour later they walked up the stairs and into a mid-sized bank. Gina had put her hair into a German looping braid instead of letting it hang loose despite it being brown rather than blond, but the boys had done nothing to disguise themselves other than dress in different coats.

When they went up to the front desk the teller glanced suspiciously at the three teenagers. "May I help you...children?"

Gina held out the two keys and tried to sound confident as she said her prepared speech. "These are for safety deposit boxes. If it's possible I'd like to take their contents right now."

He inspected them and said in a somewhat doubtful voice, "Let me check the files."

While they waited for him to return Ed began to fidget. "I'm getting this weird feeling. We should leave right now."

"We can't leave without my keys! They're all I have."

Just then the teller returned with a surprised expression. "Ordinarily we don't allow anyone under twenty-one to open safety deposit boxes, especially when they aren't the ones who requested them in the first place, but the directions for these boxes were very specific."

He held up a picture and Gina recognized her own face with slight shock.

"You are Regina Matusek?" he confirmed.

"Y-Yes, that's me."

"Come this way, please."

"Can my brothers come too?"

He paused, clearly divided on the issue, but after a moment allowed it. The teller brought them to a room far in the back behind bars that resembled those in a jail. The safety deposit boxes covered every wall, but he knew exactly where to take them.

"Here is the one under both your names, Miss Matusek."

Gina held her breath as he inserted the first key and opened the box. The lid swung open and—

"That's strange. There's nothing here. Maybe he retrieved it before you came today."

She deflated slightly. "What about the other?"

"Let me see... Ah, here we are. This box is under the name of Edward Elric, though the instructions say you are the only one allowed to open it."

"What?" Ed nearly choked.

"Brother, don't interrupt," Al gripped his arm to remind him to keep calm. "We can discuss it later."

Gina tried to act as though she wasn't startled, but also followed Al's advice. Right then was not a good time to figure out why two people she'd met randomly had a connection. She accepted a bag from the man's hand and could feel the firm edges of a small book inside.

"I'll ask my superior about Mr. Hohenheim's deposit box if you'll just wait over there," the teller said, pointing to some chairs in the lobby before he left.

The Elrics were staring at Gina incredulously.

"How do you know Hohenheim?" Ed demanded as loudly was polite in their current setting.

She turned on them as well. "How do _you_ know him?"

"He's our father," Al spoke up.

She shook her head trying to work something out. "Your _father?_ Wait, he told me in his last letter that he was sending his son home, far from Germany. Why are the two of you still here?"

"We had business to do," Ed replied sarcastically. "Now give me that."

"No, it's mine!" she danced out of his reach.

"It was under MY name! Now hand it over."

He reached for it again but she shoved it into the pocket of her skirt and skittered away almost childishly, making him very close to angry.

Al seized Ed's arm and yanked him back. "Brother, something's wrong. Someone is shouting at that teller. I don't think he was supposed to let us into the deposit box."

They looked back to see Gina walking quickly toward the exit. As they followed belatedly, there came a shout from behind to stop. They broke into a run and made it through the front doors.

Not even half a block from the bank they saw a covered truck unloading Nazis. Together they dashed toward the nearest alley but before they'd gone far, footfalls echoed behind them. Ed felt someone grab his coat and jerk him back. Letting out an angry yell, Al spun around and charged back to defend his brother.

Gina's heart was thumping so fast and her breaths came in and out so harshly that she couldn't hear anything going on behind her. Instead she kept running but a Nazi fiercely seized her looped braid moments later.

"Is this her?" one of them asked as he dragged his prisoner back to the mouth of the alley where Ed and Al were being restrained.

"Definitely her."

"Whoa!" one of the men yelped as he knelt on Ed's back. "This kid has a metal arm!"

The others stared awestruck at the snarling boy for a moment before their leader started dishing out orders.

"Load them in the truck. Make sure the girl's cuffs are tight. Now that we've got her we can reopen the roads. It's about time, too." He snorted, "An entire city forced to stop in order to find this brat."

Handcuffs trapped the teenagers' hands behind them and as they were led into a covered truck Al glanced at his brother, panic beginning to set in. They didn't have any choice but to go.

_It seems so long ago that I had my discussion with Matusek. I remember being surprised to discover that some of the most intelligent minds in this world are also some of the most religious. He is no exception. I am familiar with Christianity, being as old as I am thanks to the Philosopher's Stone, but never had I encountered this particular branch of it. When he pressed literature upon me I had expected them to be biology books that proved his thesis, but instead they were books written by cloistered people who used both their faith and science to come to conclusions I had labored over for more years than I could count. In fact, an intelligent mind only recently mentioned that Religion and Science walk hand-in-hand. I began to read more deeply and to wonder..._  
_**from the journal of Hohenheim written 2 months prior to his death**_

**Didn't expect a little twist like that, did you? Well, you probably did, but I always thought Hohenheim was the most interesting character in the whole series. If you think about it, nothing would have ever happened if not for him. He's pretty much been an invisible presence since the first few episodes, so I wanted to shed some light on his more recent work.  
Here's a question: what do you think he was doing those 400 years after he got the Philosopher's Stone and left Dante?**


	3. Escape?

**Now naturally you're probably wondering why it's taken me so long to update. Well, there are several reasons for that, none of which are good. But I think I'm actually beginning to get somewhere. Once again, there will probably be a delay on the submission of the next chapter, but I will eventually do it, which means I don't need reviews telling me to submit soon because I don't start fics and never finish them. Be constructive, people!**

**Chapter 3: Escape?**

_Matusek's thesis has been phenomenal in aiding my own research. Nothing, not a blade of grass or a leaf on a tree, is exactly the same as another. There are always differences and minute as they may be, they still exist. I feel I am beginning to see things differently now. 'Death cannot be utilized as a fuel source for men' is a fact I've already established, but what __**can?**__ The only things truly parallel in the two worlds are people. Now my tentative conclusion is that fuel for Alchemy is that which is not the same in either world: vegetation. The miracle of growth and Matusek's theory of Infinite Singularity are only guesses, of course, but I can't help feeling confident about them.  
__**from the journal of Hohenheim 11 months prior to his death**_

The cell closed with a clang to emphasize the futility of escape. One of the three Nazis guarding them gave such an unpleasant smile that Gina shuddered. Ed was the only one still wearing handcuffs, probably because of his automail. She turned to her cellmates apologetically.

"I'm sorry this happened. I really am."

Ed shrugged. "We've been trying to get into this place for a while. All we need to do is get out of here, reach the fourth floor, grab Huskisson's little gift, and escape. I'm sure if we can figure out how to do one, the rest will follow."

His brother was staring about him. "You mean this is the same building? But...that doesn't make any sense!"

"Why not?"

"Why would they have orders to bring Gina to a highly defensive military facility?"

They both turned to her and she shied away from them guiltily. "Don't ask me. I don't know anything that would help the Nazis. And I definitely wouldn't help them if I had a choice!"

The guards had been ignoring this exchange, apparently accustomed to nonsensical talk between prisoners, but they all snapped alert as soon as a stranger in a brown coat came into the wing. The new person pointedly observed Ed and all three teenagers glared back at him.

"Bring that one to 241B." Then he turned on his heel and left.

"241B?" Al wondered. He remembered seeing it on the map but couldn't recall what it was mainly used for.

Ed didn't move until a guard unlocked the door and jerked him forward. His other hand rested on the handgun at his side in a way that warned the prisoners he was quite familiar and proficient with it, and the other two men watched with the keenness of falcons.

As the grate closed between them and Ed looked back, Al suddenly remembered the label in small print on their map. "_Autopsy! _No! They won't do this to you!"

He impulsively clapped his hands together, his face twisted by desperation.

Ed shook his head. "It won't work. You can't use it here."

"I don't care!" he yelled before slamming his hands down on the cement floor.

To everyone's surprise a tremor ran through the floor and a spike of stone shot up, blocking the hallway! Ed only gaped for an instant before fully throwing his body into the nearest guard to bowl him over.

Although surprised at his success, Al didn't waste a second, but clapped again and touched the wall. Cracks spiderwebbed up to the ceiling and directly over the heads of their enemies. The guards only had enough time to cry out before rubble rained down to bury them.

Dust filled the hallway, making them cough. Ed came out of the cloud and there was a dull snap as he broke the handcuffs behind his back with hardly any effort. He glanced at the men who were feebly moving in the debris and punched one with a metal fist to make sure he didn't get up.

Folding his arms nonchalantly he said, "Not exactly what I had in mind. I was going to wait until I was around the corner before dropping that guy and coming back for you two. But this'll work too."

Al had carved away the bars holding him in the cell and joined his brother, amazement and bewilderment clearly etched out on his face. "It _does_ work, Brother! It works! I don't know how you can be so calm about it. Come on, Gina! Gina?"

The girl was wide-eyed, pressed up against the back wall as far as she could get from them. "What's going on? How can you do—_that?_"

"No time for questions," Ed said as he stepped back into the cell. "Come with us now! We're finally inside the building and I'm not going to lose this opportunity!"

"This is the Alchemy we mentioned before, Gina. It's not magic and it's not devilry. It's just science." He passed his impatient sibling and bent down to look her squarely in the eyes, giving a comforting smile. "Do you still trust us?"

She raised her head and looked at them both. "Yes."

"Then don't be scared. We'll protect you."

Taking his outstretched hand, Gina was pulled to her feet and within a few steps was free of the cell.

She still couldn't believe how easily the boys had been able to get the better of the trained guards. Pausing, the Slovakian girl dug into her pocket and pulled out the book from Hohenheim, then handed it to Al with the words, "Just in case."

"Come on, you two, let's get out of here!"

Ed led them down the hall to a dead end and then used a small explosion to turn the blank wall into a window. Wind lashed his face as he leaned out. After a clap and a few sparks of blue lightning he formed a ladder that stretched up the outside of the building. He couldn't keep himself from grinning as he flexed his fingers.

"Man, I've missed that feeling! Two floors up and we'll be right outside the room where the bomb is kept. Let's get up there."

Gina followed the brothers without hesitation, deciding that she would have faith in the bars not to disintegrate while she was climbing them.

Wailing alarms were going off all over the building, but there were no guards rushing around outside yet. They must have all gone running to the prison ward where the commotion came from, and then of course been stumped by the shard of rock blocking the entrance.

They climbed for two stories and then Ed made another impression in the building. He was inside in a second and there came the sounds of fighting. Al looked back at his friend and gave another reassuring smile.

She listened for a moment before saying nervously, "You're not worried about him?"

"He took them by surprise, so I doubt there'll be a problem."

The shouts within ceased and Ed's blond head reappeared. "Didn't know what hit 'em. Coming in?"

Four men lay prone on the floor surrounded by broken glass and assorted tools. Most of the room seemed to be a laboratory, but the rest was a wall of books. Edward was already running his hands along the shelves.

The girl shook her head and continued to peer about nervously. "Why aren't there any guards? I thought this was an important military facility."

Both Elrics ignored her as they inspected different areas of the room. They attributed it to good luck and didn't want to waste any time worrying about it. Ed stopped and gave a wicked grin.

"Nothing to it. Their head doesn't have much of an imagination when it comes to hiding things."

He shoved several rows of books onto the floor and pulled off the shelves to reveal a metal safe. Although it had been found, Gina couldn't help wondering how he was going to get inside.

As if in answer to the thought, blue sparks skittered along the edges of Ed's palms as he concentrated on changing the carbon density of the safe. After a moment he opened his eyes and threw a kick at it with his automail leg. The metal three inches thick might as well have been made of sawdust.

The uranium bomb sat inside, exactly the same as when he'd first seen it years ago. But now that he had it, what to do with it?

A gunshot echoed from outside and Ed ducked instinctively as it ricocheted nearby. Apparently their hideaway had been spotted. He decided quickly that the bomb dilemma could wait until later when they were gone. He repaired the safe with a clap and grinned at the others.

"Let's see if they can figure out how we got it out."

More bullets flew at them from the ground where a squad of Nazis had grouped. Thinking fast, Ed slapped the floor, creating a new structure that stretched down directly through the building.

"What _is_ that?" Gina asked as she glanced warily at the dark hole in the floor.

"Just think of it as a slide. I calculated the distance to the nearest canal and it's close enough that we should end up there."

"Should?!"

"Don't trust me? Fine. I'll go first."

In the space of a breath, both the teenager and bomb disappeared into the black hole as Gina let out a strangled cry. Al placed a hand on her back and guided her over to it gently.

"It's the only way out, and Ed knows what he's doing with his Alchemy, no matter how badly his plans seem to go sometimes."

"Too bad this one didn't go so well either," said a deep voice from behind.

Before Al could spin around a soldier clouted him in the head! With a grunt he crumpled to the floor and slid toward the hole! Gina screamed and tried to grab him, but the stranger yanked her back. She watched the boy vanish into darkness without a sound.

Even though she struggled to get away from the man holding her, he was too strong. She heard a door open behind them and a man in a business suit entered closely followed by two uniformed soldiers. Her jaw went slack and her throat constricted.

"Tell those fools outside to stop firing," he growled at his underlings and they left to obey his order.

"Richter!" the girl gasped out.

The old man gave what might have been a comforting smile in any other setting. "So you remember me."

"It's difficult to forget the man who sold out my parents," she spat.

"So you _were_ in the house when we came to find you. If they hadn't hidden you I would have allowed them to go free. As it was I had to let the Nazis take them. They broke the law after all."

"_Law?!_" Gina screamed and surged toward him, some half-formed notion of pushing him out Ed's makeshift window crowding her mind. But the soldier twisted her arm painfully behind her back until she feared it might break.

The patter of bullets and echoing shots from below had ceased by this time and the scientist turned to look at the chute the Elric brothers had gone down.

"So _this_ is Alchemy. Hohenheim certainly wasn't understating it in his journal. I'll have those two brought back. I'm certain the threat of your death will guarantee their peaceful cooperation."

"Leave them alone!"

Just then a tremble ran through the building and the tunnel dissolved inward as though the energy that had been holding it together dissipated. Within seconds there was nothing but an empty hole there. Richter glanced down curiously and saw a pile of sand collected on the floor below.

"That will make it a bit harder to find them, but they couldn't have gone far. Take three trucks and patrol the surrounding streets. They're on the run but they won't go far. Take this one to the cell. Preparations will begin immediately."

Gina felt so numb that she hardly noticed her feet shuffling along behind a soldier or his tight grip on her arm. It didn't seem to matter. Everything was falling apart. Her friends, her parents...gone...

The man shoved her into an unfamiliar cell and she dropped to her knees once the gate slammed shut behind.

:Q:

Alphonse Elric felt his sore muscles and especially the pain in his shoulder before anything else. He opened his eyes and winced at the light. It seemed unbearably bright, but as his eyes adjusted he realized it was nothing more than a single lightbulb in the corner of a room cluttered full of assorted tools and labeled boxes. The place must be a storeroom.

He spotted Ed beneath the light, turning pages of a book. Unconsciously he patted the pocket where he'd placed the book Gina had handed to him and found it missing. So Ed had been curious while he waited for his sibling to wake up. He could see the symbol of Amestris's flag painted in gold in the center of the cover, explaining why she might have been familiar with his watch's design.

"Where are we?" he wondered.

Ed looked over and gave a relieved smile. He stood and walked to his brother to help him up.

"Still in the same place. I guess even though we could use Alchemy it wasn't strong enough to make it all the way to a canal. I think we might be in the basement of the complex. If it weren't for my metal leg I'd have broken a few bones. I still hit the ground pretty hard, though, and you landing on top of me wasn't the most pleasant experience either. If I hadn't dragged you away from the tunnel in time we'd both be buried under that."

Al followed Ed's gaze and saw the indicated area. A quarter of the basement was completely swamped with sand. The racks of supplies seemed to have dammed it enough to prevent the entire room from being filled. Fortunately.

"How did it happen?"

"After I transmuted the tunnel, the Alchemy fusing it together suddenly gave out. I'm sure the floors above us have similar problems."

"Wait! They have Gina! Someone hit me and I fell into the tunnel!"

"I thought that's what happened." He held up the book he'd been reading. "Looks like our old man suspected some things I never thought he'd be able to discover."

"Like what?"

"Well, I skipped through most of his trial-and-error guesses straight to the end when he started putting everything together coherently. We don't have much time to read about the whole process anyway."

"What did he learn?"

"The source of Alchemy isn't war and strife. He looked for sources of life instead that could be possible fuels, eliminating everything except vegetation. He went off into some tangent about not a blade of grass or a single leaf in the entire world being the same as another, and that went doubly with parallel worlds, et cetera. The theory itself seems far-fetched, but when was the last time our old man was wrong?"

"You forget I only knew him for one day," Al said somberly. "We know he's linked somehow to Gina. Does he mention anything about her?"

"More than I can believe, but even that is only partial information. He divided his theories into two journals. That's why there were two safety deposit boxes. Someone else got their hands on the one with his and her name on it before we got there, and we're lucky they didn't realize there was a second one under just my name. But anyway, from what I can tell, she's the reason we can use Alchemy."

"What?!"

_When I first laid eyes on Regina I didn't see her at all. If anything there was so much to see that I couldn't make my eyes fully focus on her. When I finally did manage to look at her normally, she was nothing more than a child perhaps a few years younger than Edward and I wondered if I had been mistaken. But there was no denying the aura about her, different from any other I had ever encountered around people in either world. Solid. I was afraid to get close to her in case I came up against a brick wall, but she was as simple and normal-seeming as any other person.  
Then again, so am I._  
_**from the journal of Hohenheim 1 year prior to his death**_

**Aha! So now the secret's out. Well, part of it anyway. If that's all there was I'd have finished the story by now.  
Poll time! As a purely innocent and inquisitive query, if Ed and Al did have a sister what would she look like, what kind of personality would she have, and what would be her name? (I suppose you could qualify this as an opportunity to create an OC)**


	4. Stepping Through

**And here we find out more about Gina's secret that she is unaware of, as well as the reason Richter wanted her so badly.**

**Chapter 4: Stepping Through**

_Ever since my encounter with Matusek's daughter I have been wondering what it is that makes her so different. I remember seeing Envy for a few short moments after he came through the Gate searching for me before the raging battle separated us permanently. I recall a similar solidity surrounding Regina, though hers was much stronger. He was made that way...she was born that way. What does it mean and how are they connected? Do those forces oppose each other? There was a stagnant air about Regina that I didn't notice right away. Is it because of Envy's presence in this world where he doesn't belong? The only way to find out is to remove him._  
_**from the journal of Hohenheim 11 months prior to his death**_

Gina had no idea how long she lay on the cement floor of her cell staring at nothing. It could have been hours or minutes. She couldn't tell the difference.

"I'm such a fool."

It was her own fault, in part, but some of it had been out of her hands. All her efforts to escape to the countryside and find relatives had been thwarted. Buses or trains had been out of service or headed the wrong direction. At the risk of being caught if she had stayed in one place, Gina had been forced to take them. Over the course of a week she'd made her way into Germany, almost to Munich, every passing mile against her will. It was as if something were driving her in that direction.

Only after she thought of that had she set aside her grief and remembered Hohenheim's letters; especially his last. Deciding she had to go find him, Gina completed the journey only to be disappointed. Why had she been led to the city if he was not there?

Now she knew she was meant to find the Elrics, then the safety deposit boxes...but how did being caught by _him_ fit into any great plan? Unless this was as far as she would ever go.

Gina knew without a doubt that he meant to kill her. He hadn't hesitated to condemn her parents. After all that time working alongside her father, he turned around and betrayed him! They had been peers at the college and shared research with one another. Richter must have learned about Hohenheim at Munich when he had been hired by the Germans and connected him to the man her _tatko_ spoke of constantly.

Her eyes came into focus after a time and she realized that she'd been gazing at a corner of paper poking out from between the boards of the nearby bench. Curiosity prompted her to get up and go look, but she was completely confused when, after tugging it out, she saw her own name scrawled on the front.

It was from Noah!

_Gina, I have always been able to see the pasts of others as well as their thoughts, but not until today was I ever able to see the future. That glimpse cost me. My power—my curse—is broken. Even now I can hardly recall what I have seen through others over the years. _

_It is no loss to me. Thank you for taking from me a gift I never asked for. At least I know I will not go to my death seeing the thoughts of my executioners, and that is enough of a reward._

_But my fate does not matter as much as yours. I knew you would be here in this cell and that I would no longer be there when you arrived. I knew that he would take you away to create a path. I knew that Ed and Al would only be able to use their powers around you. There were many more unidentifiable flashes and then my foresight failed._

_But I remember seeing a cross in your hands as you stood alone in a lonely desert, and that was the most important of all, even though you did nothing but weep over it. And then you were no longer alone._

_My time is over. Thank Ed and Al for me. My few experiences with them were precious. Thank you again for breaking my curse._

_Noah_

Gina didn't understand. There was so much happening that she'd never had a chance to learn. She was lost wandering around in the dark while everything seemed to hinge on her being able to find her way without stumbling. Feelings of vulnerability and helplessness overwhelmed her.

_What was she supposed to __do?!_

Before she had time to fully comprehend the message left for her by the gypsy, a door opened down the hallway. Gina shoved the letter into her pocket and resumed her portrayal of a dejected prisoner. But her mind whirled, trying to find a way out.

"It's regrettable that we can't convince you to aid our cause, thereby avoiding so much needless trouble," the former college professor said, his voice betraying any disappointment his words implied. "As it is, from what we have gleaned out of Hohenheim's journal, I believe we can continue with or without your personal permission."

His voice had taken on a different tone that made her look up. She caught sight of a syringe and the breath caught in her throat. Her mind went blank as every thought fled in panic.

:Q:

"But that doesn't explain everything. Why is she so different?" Al insisted.

"He only has a short explanation here. The rest was in his other journal because they were meant to be read side-by-side. Basically he gives a partial explanation as to why we have parallel selves. He isn't really very confident about the answer since it has something to do with a piece of Amestris's history he has no knowledge of, but the fact remains that we all have parallel selves, right? All of us except _Gina_, that is."

"You mean she's the only one? Then why would she be born here on Earth and not Amestris? And why just her? It couldn't be something hereditary, could it?"

"Not according to our father. He described it as 'evident design of non-parallel human singularity'. Definitely not a mistake. His theory was that every few generations some random person is born who has an alchemic field around them. The reasoning behind it was almost too difficult for him to put into words, but he mentioned something about there not being parallel worlds _per se_, but different territories of the same world united by parallel people. Especially by those who aren't parallel. He met a couple in the past few hundred years, which is why he recognized her, but he doesn't go into them."

"Pretty deep. Do you understand it?"

"To an extent. I think it means Amestris and Earth were linked somewhere in the past before a conjunction divided them. The landscapes are different, which shows that they don't copy each other. In fact the only things that are the same in both places are humans. Then there's _her_. He could tell Gina was different just by looking at her. She wasn't necessarily more real, but there was something undeniably solid he couldn't ignore about her appearance."

"Solid? Did you notice?"

"No. But he goes on to say the solidity is so natural that it's hardly discernible to others. Since he had used the Philosopher's Stone to stay alive for hundreds of years, he had defied the natural order of life, making him _unnatural_. Therefore the most natural things were grossly more obvious to him than they would be to us."

Al considered his brother's words. He wanted to meet his father more than ever now, but the door between Life and Death had closed and he wouldn't even entertain the idea of reaching across that barrier. Still, he couldn't help feeling a pang of regret.

"We have to get to her. Once we get close we can use Alchemy, then we can escape."

"You really think it'll be that easy?"

"We don't have another choice, Brother. How hard do you think it'll be to break the lock on that door?"

Ed flexed his automail arm and the corner of his mouth tilted upward. "Give me three seconds."

:Q:

Richter and his assistant walked up the stairs, Gina being pulled along. She kept stumbling and shaking her head trying to clear it, but whatever chemical they had used was beginning to affect her like a sedative. The old man's words were spoken clearly but she had trouble paying attention.

"While our world is drowning in war and death, we can migrate to a new one. According to much of Hohenheim's text, this Amestris-land is mostly rural and only just coming into a proper mechanical age. I am intrigued that they lack any air vehicles beyond the rustic sort, yet have conquered the connection between mind and machine. Automail will become my passion once I go there."

The assistant yanked Gina upright once more as they reached the final floor and exited the stairwell. They locked the door behind them carefully. "Sir, is it true the safe in the lab was empty?"

The reminder of the missing bomb struck a chord in Richter and his face turned sour. Darting a glare at his prisoner, he found something utterly distasteful about her.

"She won't be needing this."

Richter began to lift the crucifix necklace from Gina's neck but her hand shot up and she seized hold of it. They came to a halt in the hallway.

"N-n-no!"

There was a wave of dreadful numbness running through her body, making her hands shake and her voice waver. Even her thoughts were beginning to scatter into a million pieces, but the idea of her crucifix being taken away forced her into one place, here and now, to fight him.

"It's m-mine!"

He was surprised how much strength she had left after the injection, but he'd already given her the maximum dosage. There was maybe half an hour with which to work before it was too late. There was no time for her to waste energy on something as pointless and futile as this.

"Give it to me."

"No!" she yelled.

"Sir, why not just let her keep it?"

"Because I don't want her to have it!" he snarled at the man. With a vicious yank the chain broke and he threw the crucifix to the tiled floor.

Gina screamed intelligibly and tried to go after it but the assistant held on tightly to her. All the strength faded from her eyes after a moment and she went limp. She was so tired and everything was painful...

Several minutes later other man spoke. "If I may ask, Sir, how do you intend to make the connection to the other world if she isn't even conscious enough to do it on her own?"

"Do you honestly believe this child knows how to make it there anyway? Hypnotism is the only sure way to do it. One of our colleagues has volunteered his services in this manner for passage." Richter halted abruptly. "Speaking of which."

The assistant became nervous. "Sir, I've kept silent ever since I learned about your organization! I've done what I could to help, but I can't afford the amount you're asking."

"We have no room for excess baggage."

A gunshot echoed in the corridor.

:Q:

"Don't you think it's odd that _Herr_ Richter would order all of us to go looking for the escaped prisoners? There's only two of them," one guard noted his fellows as they patrolled the street. There were two other trucks of soldiers also making rounds.

One if the others in the group nodded in agreement, but the third caught his arm in a menacing grip. "Don't speak of your betters that way, private. You do not question orders. He has his own unit inside the compound to keep the area secure."

"You trust those high-and-mighty soldiers? I don't! They never take watches or any responsibilities. And what about those civilians? Why have they been bringing them to the top floor ever since that gypsy girl was shipped off to Auschwitz?"

"That is _Herr_ Richter's business and not yours."

"I don't like it. Something's going on right under our noses and we haven't got a clue what it is or even whether it's in the best interest of the Third Reich. What if it isn't?"

"Shut your mouth and keep looking for the prisoners."

:Q:

Al took the lead, hurling himself up the stairs. At every floor they tested to see if their Alchemy worked but so far, nothing. They had already reached the fifth floor and encountered no one.

"I know there weren't that many soldiers here before, but now it's like the building's empty," Ed said. "It's too quiet. Do you think they evacuated?"

"If they did, we're wasting our time going upward. Do you think they took her someplace else?"

Just then they came to a door and the stairs ended. This was the sixth and last floor.

Al tried the door and found it locked. Looking back at his brother for a moment, he slowly clapped his hands and placed them on the door. Sparks flared and it exploded outward in pieces. Without waiting for the dust to settle, they charged into the hall.

Almost immediately after entering they slid to a stop. The body of a young man lay face-down on the tiles, a spray of blood on the wall and a stagnant pool of it surrounding him.

"Why do you think they killed him?"

Ed knelt down, failing to disguise his disgust. "No telling now. I'm not even sure _when_. It couldn't have been too long ago: the blood hasn't completely congealed. Maybe ten minutes or half an hour. I'm not an expert."

Just off to the side, a glint of metal attracted Ed's eye and he walked over to see what it was. He reached down and gripped Gina's crucifix in his hand before hurrying to catch up with Al who had gone ahead. He slipped it into the pocket with Hohenheim's journal to keep it safe.

The younger Elric burst into every room they passed, but the only things he saw were empty cots and small signs of those who had been staying in them. Finally he came to another locked door.

"Gina!" he pounded on it.

"Don't announce we're here until we take them by surprise!" his brother shoved him aside and with a clap changed his metal arm into a weapon. In the next second there was no longer a working door between them and the room.

He surged inside, expecting to face a line of men with rifles or nightsticks at the very least. But even if there had been other people in the room, his attention would have been diverted by the Gate against the far wall. Its light washed over everything with a radiance that burned his eyes. The room was nearly as large as a gymnasium and it took the two brothers a few moments to realize there was one person left: Gina.

Al rushed over to the table where she had been laid. His brother looked at the floor and carefully picked up a discarded needle.

"They drugged her, the bastards!" he snarled.

"I'm going to try to help her."

"You've never done any sort of healing Alchemy, Al. How do you even know where to begin?"

Instead of answering, he clapped his hands then placed them lightly on Gina's temples. She burned at his touch and sweat drenched the roots of her hair. The younger Elric closed his eyes to focus.

Measurements of the elements in her body ran through his mind and he discovered the imbalancing drug. Detection was child's play; the cure was the real problem. He could change it into something else, but he didn't know what the sudden modification could do to her body.

What was he supposed to do?!

He didn't realize there were frustrated tears in his eyes until Ed gripped his arm. Al was ready to jerk away, but the look on his brother's face made him pause. His golden gaze focused on her with a fiery fierceness that could have stopped an army of chimeras.

"I'll try."

As Al stepped back, he noticed the Gate's size fluctuating out of the corner of his eye, but he didn't care. Saving Gina's life was all that mattered.

The alchemists had stood quietly for several minutes, Al observing and Ed concentrating, before a glow started beneath his hands. Gina suddenly jerked and twitched, her face contorting into painful expressions too difficult to watch. It dawned on them that the Gate had vanished completely.

There came a weak, warbling cry from the figure lying down, and then complete silence.

Ed leaned heavily against the table and Al leaned over the girl to see if she was all right. Suddenly Gina gave a scream and arched her back. Before either of them could react there was a blinding flash of light!

_I visited Matusek several times over the course of two weeks, but on the final day I had a conversation with him that made me step back and take a look at both myself and my life in a way I had never done before:  
"You believe in God with such passion, but in the moments when He is needed most where is He? Why does He hide?"  
"Surely you know the story of Jesus when his parents searched desperately for him for three days. He was in the temple the whole time. If they had simply searched in the right place they would have found him. Where have you been looking? Science and mysticism can only take us so far, you know. Religion goes so deeply there is no end to it, whereas everything else has its limits."  
"Why are you so certain I can find Him in a church?"  
"Have you even looked? By your words I can safely assume you haven't, or at least not for a very long time. He isn't hiding. You are the one hiding from Him."  
There have only been a handful of times in my life when I was rendered speechless by an opposing argument. The accusation was true, and though the last thing I wanted to do was admit to it, I had promised I would not lie to others or myself any longer. Instead I considered his words and accepted them in the humblest way I could. That is the day he gave me a Bible.  
**from the journal of Hohenheim 20 days prior to his death ** _

**Some people never learn. You can't kill off the main characters! Well, except for the most unpleasant or annoying ones. And of course someone like Aerith or Zack, but that's a whole new can of worms. (Crisis Core rules! Sephiroth is the bomb when he's not evil!)**

**Okay, here's another personal: if you were to do a cross-over of FMA, what other game/anime/cartoon/movie would you choose and what characters?**


	5. On Waking

**This chapter was rather hard to write because I kept going over all the different possibilities for them to find themselves, then I finally figured out that sometimes you discover more on your own.**

**Chapter 5: On Waking**

_The Thule Society asked for body armor to protect from the Gate's properties. I told them only alchemists could pass through safely, but when they insisted on designs, I gave them sketches similar to the armor Alphonse was contained within. Perhaps when those on Amestris see it they will make a connection. I have begun to think that if Regina is the key to another passage which doesn't require sacrifice, then her way would be free of the dangerous Gate Children. The way I came is punishment for a forbidden art, so what would the other be? I wonder if it could be as simple as walking into another room...  
__**from the journal of Hohenheim 1 month prior to his death**_

Alphonse Elric knew where he was before he'd even opened his eyes. It was the chirping birds and the smell of the trees and the...the feel of the place surrounding him. He was familiar with it intimately. When he did look finally, it was as if nothing had changed since his last visit. It had only been two months after all, but he couldn't help feeling that the distance of a whole different world should have altered at least something about his former home.

It struck him, as he stared at the mound of ashes now covered with spring grass, that after trying to revive their beloved mother, neither of them had ever gone back inside. He hadn't understood why until just now: they had wanted to burn the memories of their failure, but especially the remains of the grotesque skeletal creature that had taken form there in the place of their parent.

Al let the ashy earth sift through his fingers before standing. The last time he'd been here, he'd only imagined what could have happened. The crossing to Earth restored the missing years in his life since that fateful night.

Now being back along with all his memories made everything seem different even though nothing had physically changed. He had a strange feeling that there was nothing left to do. After all, the Philosopher's Stone had been found, he'd regained his body, the Homunculi were all dead, and Dante was gone. Maybe Ed would want to...

"Ed?" he called. "Brother, where are you?"

There was no answer. He began searching the hillside but he was all alone. Where was Ed? And what about Gina? Had she survived?

:Q:

Edward Elric opened his eyes cautiously. The sunlight was painful, but he had to know where he was. The sun beat down harshly and it took him some time to realize he was in a ditch. Then as his eyes adjusted he could see someone staring down at him in fascination.

"Who're you?" a little boy asked. He couldn't even be five years old. Probably between three and four.

Ed sat up and looked around. He was on the outskirts of a town in the desert.

"What's this place called?"

"Who're you?"

"Can you tell me where I am?" he asked again.

"Who're you?"

"Fine!" He folded his arms and displayed his most annoyed expression as the boy stood above him, blissfully staring with the pure curious wonder only a child can show properly. "My name's Ed, okay? Now where—"

"Mommy knows Ed. She say he come back for her." He now had his answer and and turned away.

Ed suddenly noticed the boy's dark skin tone and his deep brown eyes. "Hey kid, what's your mom's name?"

But the little kid was apparently bored with the stranger and started to collect stones on the ground into a pile. He was meticulous as he picked out the ones he wanted and no longer paid any attention to Ed.

The alchemist looked at the sand-colored buildings and murmured, "Liore?"

But it couldn't be. Liore had been destroyed years ago because of the creation of the Philosopher's Stone. At least, it had when he'd been there last. He hadn't exactly had much of a chance to go back since he had been sent to Earth.

"Michel!" a worried young woman appeared between the buildings, two strawberry highlights standing out in her brown hair. The boy ran to his mother with a laugh. "Where have you been? There are strangers in—"

She stopped suddenly as she caught sight of him. A tear slid down her cheek and she clasped her hands, unable to say a word.

He gave a nervous little wave. "Hey, Roze. How have you been?"

:Q:

Gina Matusek lay at an awkward angle on a hard surface. All she wanted to do was go on sleeping, but the sound of several guns cocking roused her. Opening her eyes, she found herself in a room that looked like an office with Victorian-style furniture and wide windows that looked out on a city that was most certainly not in Germany. She barely had enough strength to raise herself up on one elbow.

There were three people in unfamiliar blue uniforms aiming handguns at her from about eight feet away. Two of them were men and the third was a blond woman.

"Get on your knees!" she commanded in the queerest German the girl had ever heard, but at least it was understandable. "And keep your hands where I can see them. If you use Alchemy I'll make sure this bullet goes straight into your left eye. _Do you hear me?_"

Gina froze. Not because she was frightened, although being scared was hardly a problem, but because she saw a fourth person in the room. He was standing behind the desk near the windows, regarding her with an unreadable expression.

Tears filled her eyes and a sob issued from her throat. If she hadn't been so weak she would have dashed over and thrown her arms around him.

"_Tatko!_"

She started speaking in Slovakian and then remembered the other people in the room. They might think she was hiding something if she didn't allow them to understand. Dropping back into German the girl continued weeping for joy.

"Richter said they took you and _Mamička_ to the camps but I knew you couldn't be dead. I _knew_ it! Oh, I love you so much! I didn't have a chance to tell you before they came, but—"

"Be quiet!" the woman with the gun shouted.

Gina looked at her, realizing for the first time that there was an unnatural hostility and tenseness about the soldiers. Were they afraid of her? Why? What had she done?

"_Tatko_, what's going on? Who are they? Where is this place and why are you dressed that way?"

As she looked back at him, the familiar joy and affection she expected to see on his face were instead hard resolve and wariness. Not even a trace of recognition. He had an eyepatch on and held his hand out as though ready to snap his fingers.

Her hand flew to her mouth. "Y—you're not..."

A wave of dizziness swept over her and the arm holding her up buckled. Her head hit the floor hard and she lay there staring at the man who looked exactly like her father in disbelief.

"Ed...Al...where are...?"

Then she lost all awareness.

:Q:

"Roze, you're telling me that strangers with guns appeared in Liore twenty minutes ago and started attacking people?"

Michel's mother nodded as she led him along an alley. "They were all dressed oddly and told us that unless we wanted to be slaughtered, we should give them provisions and vehicles. I don't know if they've gotten what they wanted yet or not. I ran after they started threatening us."

"How many?"

"No more than two dozen. There were several children with them too and they all carried bags as if they were traveling. Do you have any idea what's going on?"

"Maybe. They're from the place I've been for the past two years."

"Are they another conquering army? We heard about the attack on Central two months ago, but Liore isn't equipped to defend itself. Oh, if only Major Armstrong was still here!"

Ed looked around and shook his head. "I don't think so. Whatever the plan as, it isn't to take over by force. They didn't have enough men in that building... So what are they trying to do?"

:Q:

Al walked along the path leading to Winry Rockbell's home. He wanted to see her now that he remembered everything.

Suddenly the tranquil scenery was disturbed by a scream. Al recognized it as Winry's and broke into a run. He rounded the bend in time to see several men going into the Rockbells' home.

"Get out of my workshop!" she shrieked. "Don't touch that! It's mechanics for automail, you numbskull! Hey, those are my tools! Leave that alo— _Hey!_"

He charged through the front door and saw one of the men throw Winry to the ground in the living room. With a growl he slapped his hands together and hit the floor. Thick wooden bars stretched up from the floorboards, trapping the six men in a cage where they stood.

"Al, you're back!" Winry said in surprise.

Everyone turned to look at him...and then he realized they had guns. Thinking fast, he grabbed the door and performed a Transmutation. It sliced off cleanly from the frame with a handle on the back and shrunk so that it would be easier to use. He also changed the carbon density to make it harder just in time to shield himself. Bullets ricocheted off its surface and he ducked behind the sofa.

How could he get those guns from the soldiers?

_Bonk! Bonk! Bonk!_

"I told you to get out of my workshop, but did you listen? No!" Winry screeched, long blond hair flying as she picked up another wrench to throw. Three had fallen to the floor, dazed, and the last three shifted their rifles in her direction.

Al knew they were either going to shoot her or—no, they'd just shoot her.

He slapped his hands to the floor and the wooden bars began to warp. Rosevines sprouted from them and began to wind about the soldiers, latching on with their tiny but effectively painful thorns. In less than a minute the men found themselves restrained by the living plants. Several blood-red roses had bloomed, providing a starking contrast with their prisoners.

Winry's grandmother, Pinako, came waltzing into the room from the kitchen, long pipe in her mouth. She surveyed the carnage with a detached air.

"Al, as nice as roses are, you'd better fix my floor once you restrain those ruffians. It's nice to see you again." She started outside and saw the missing door. "I want that back too."

The old lady's granddaughter ran over and hugged Al, squealing in delight. "I was afraid you wouldn't come back! Where's Ed? It's not like him to miss all the excitement."

Al shrugged. "I'm not sure. I don't even know how I got back exactly. He might have passed through the Gate, but not with me."

"Typical! He's always running off!"

"I don't think he did it on purpose. We were with this girl—"

"_Girl?_" Winry suddenly became icy. "This _girl_ wouldn't happen to be very talented, attractive, and the cause of your return, would she?"

The young Elric knew there was only one right answer. "Of course not! That is, she's not talented...in a sense. And I can't say she's ugly. And she didn't exactly get us here on purpose. I think."

She still did not look happy.

Al decided to focus on the less worrisome of his problems. He grabbed the shirtcollar of one of the men and dragged him closer.

"Now I want you to tell me exactly what's going on! Why are you here?"

The guy winced as thorns dug into his skin. "We—we just wanted to get away from the war! _Herr _Richter offered us a way out as long as we pledged ourselves to him and paid the fee."

"Fee? What fee?"

"To make the crossing. I sold everything I had and borrowed money from everyone I knew just to make it. We all did. Even the civilians."

"Civilians? What do you mean?"

:Q:

Riza Hawkeye holstered her gun and looked back at the other two soldiers. Feury and Havoc were still pointing theirs at the girl and she could see them shaking. Even though she had seen the girl appear out of nowhere too at least she could exert the appearance of calm.

"You can put those away. She's unconscious." She addressed Roy Mustang, "Sir, what would you like us to do with the intruder?"

Mustang continued to stare at the teenager with his one good eye. "She said Ed and Al's names. Get Ethertrace in here. Feury, search her."

Riza left and the lieutenant searched through the kid's pockets nervously. A passport and a letter were procured and Mustang looked over them critically. There were three different names. Gina and Noah (though was that a feminine or masculine name?) were on the letter, but the passport said Angelika Bartul. Which one was this girl?

Minutes later his second lieutenant reappeared with a young female alchemist. The new woman always kept her light hair pulled back into a short braid, not because of military standards but because it tended to stick out everywhere if she didn't. She'd been ridiculed several times already for that particular attribute but she ignored everyone's opinion except her superiors'.

Ethertrace could detect and identify chemicals and alchemic alterations, which came in handy in investigations. Once she was familiar with an element or a specific person's Alchemy, she could easily classify it later. On the tip of each finger she had tattooed a Transmutation circle so that she could find out about objects merely by touching them. It was queer working with her sometimes because she would close her eyes, almost as if seeing with her fingers.

"What can you tell me about her?"

The woman knelt down, eyes already shut, and began to feel along the girl's face, neck, arms, torso and so on, probing her. Confusion crossed her face and she gave a startled noise.

"She's from somewhere else. Everything about her is that of a foreign world."

"I guessed that from her clothing and the countries on her passport."

"But she doesn't feel like the strangers who attacked Central. I'm not entirely sure she's from the same place because her nature is completely different. And there's an alchemic scent lingering beneath her skin. Someone healed her using Alchemy recently, though from illness or poison I can't tell. But the Alchemy used was—"

"Fullmetal's?"

She looked up at him in surprise. "Yes sir. And I believe his brother's as well, though I don't detect any changes he made. He was possibly just scanning."

Mustang glanced back down at the contents of the letter in his hands. "She definitely has personal connections to the boys. That settles it. Feury, Havoc, take her to the infirmary. If the Elrics tried to heal her, I want to make sure she makes a full recovery. I hope Fullmetal didn't screw up. Healing with Alchemy isn't as easy as it sounds."

The two men looked nervous. Feury opened his mouth, "Sir, we don't know anything about her. Are you sure you want this stranger—"

"Are you questioning a direct order?"

"No, sir!"

"Then do as you're told, soldier!"

_I remember once wondering how some men could combine their faith and science and come to the correct conclusion. Now I believe I am following their example without meaning to. My new method of research has led me to the conclusion that there are not two worlds. Regina's existence proves it: she has no parallel self. I have come to believe she was born to prove that the worlds are nothing more than different territories connected by the Gate. The fact that people have parallels only shows more of a connection, perhaps God's way of telling His people they are not alone, though I think it's a very humorous way to make a point. But I do not presume to understand the will of the Almighty, nor the young woman's purpose. As her father told me once, there is no such thing as Destiny because we are always given a choice._  
_**from the journal of Hohenheim written 9 month prior to his death**_

**Yes, Ethertrace is an OC. I was curious about what kind of an alchemist would be able to tell about people just by touching them. So, if you were an alchemist, what kind of signature move would you have? Ed's got his little hand-clap and Mustang has his snap of the fingers, so how about you?**


	6. Amestris

**Sorry for the long wait! Been busy and fighting Writer's Block. Oh, and just so nobody starts harping to me about Mustang's rank, I decided to promote him after his self-demotion in the movie, but not too high.**

**Chapter 6: Amestris**

_I will never forgive myself for following Dante's advice. No...it was my idea too. Neither of us had ever been religious, since to us it was merely a method of controlling the masses. Using it as a tool to bring together the largest gathering of people we could, we unwittingly brought all the most educated and spiritual members of the Christian community. And there in Khriein, that city of light and celebration…we butchered them as mass sacrifices to create the Philosopher's Stone…  
__**from the journal of Hohenheim written 1 month before his death**_

Ed observed the people from a rooftop two buildings away. They had already gotten three large trucks from the townsfolk, though it hardly seemed enough room for everyone. Only half their number were soldiers, though. He could see at least six women and a few children hanging tightly to them. By their clothing he could tell they were at least moderately wealthy, though dressed for travel.

"The soldiers were for protection, but the ones that really matter are the families," he said aloud to himself.

Roze watched beside him without commenting.

"They probably expected more of their buddies to be with them, so they have to act tough to avoid appearing weak and frightened."

"What should we do?"

Ed continued to watch as the people crammed into vehicles with stolen food and water. Some of the soldiers had been looting and he unconsciously clenched his fists. Without anyone to lead them, the men were doing whatever they wanted.

"Get yourself and Michel someplace safe. I don't trust them to leave without doing something stupid."

She paused for a moment as if wanting to say something, but he threw her a warning look and Roze silently left the rooftop by a set of stairs. His attention was diverted by a shout down below. One of them had grabbed a teenage boy by the arm and his parents were begging the Nazis to let him go. Before he had a chance to even call out a warning, three civilians armed with guns approached and swift gunfire responded.

The shots seemed to go off in slow motion as the alchemist clapped his hands to Transmute ladder rungs down the side of the building. Everyone on the street had dropped to the ground and even some of the families that had traveled there were hunkered down in fear.

All three trucks revved their engines, warning the passengers that they'd best get in or be left behind. They boarded more quickly than Ed thought was possible and were just driving away as he reached the scene.

For a split second he was divided between helping the bleeding townspeople lying in the dust or pursuing the culprits. A woman just a foot from him coughed up blood and he made his decision.

The alchemist knelt down beside her and clapped. He repaired the damage as quickly as he could and moved over to her husband. He was dead from a bullet through the neck. At least their son was still breathing.

One of the others was suffering from a bullet wound in the chest and Ed barely repaired it in time. As for the last two, they had minor wounds and were more shaken up than hurt.

Someone behind him was crying. "We couldn't stop them! Not after we heard the shots. One of the strangers seized Michel and put a gun to his head. He told Roze to be their guide and she went with them."

Ed shot to his feet—and promptly fell over. His watery limbs refused to support his body. In fact he could see his hands shaking with the strain.

"I have to get her back!" he said through gritted teeth.

The people had crowded around him by now and Ed felt his head beginning to swim. His eyes were making several images of the same thing float about and they looked much farther away than they should have been.

"Elric, is that you?"

"We haven't seen you in two years!"

"Are you all right?"

_Roze, I shouldn't have used up so much energy healing them…_

:Q:

"Civilians? What do you mean?" Al demanded.

"Half the people who came are—"

"Shut it, Ghoehmann!" one of the others snapped. "You won't make us talk no matter what you do, kid!"

"Oh really?"

Al made another Transmutation and the rosevines suddenly became writhing green snakes with long fangs. The men started pleading. All except the one who had silenced his companion. He refused to be cowed.

The young Elric was no good at torturing people. In fact, he tended to stick up for them whenever his brother tried to get information forcefully. He didn't want to hurt anyone, but he needed to find out what was going on.

Al folded his arms. "Okay. Who's going to talk?"

"Keep your traps shut!" the recalcitrant one warned.

Winry stepped in. "Who are you going to listen to: this guy or the one who has you wrapped up in poisonous snakes?"

They all started talking at once.

"_Herr_ Richter said we'd all be together—"

"—settle someplace and we'd guard them—"

"—once we find the Third Reich—"

"—told the others we'd get them provisions and—"

"Be quiet!" Pinako yelled from the broken doorway. She gave an irritated puff on her pipe and pointed outside. "Just put them in the cellar. You get some lawmen out here to take care of them."

Another clap and the snake-vines and roses sank into the floor. The men didn't put up a fight as Al guided them out then down through the cellar doors, but before they all entered, the stubborn one sneered.

"I wish you'd broken your neck when I pushed you down that hole."

He yanked him back. "That was you?"

Despite the defiance he could see in the man's eyes, the teenager also noticed something akin to fear, though it was clear he wasn't afraid of Al even though he'd seen what Alchemy could do.

"You stole the bomb. We were going to set it off to destroy the only way back, but if you traveled through after us, that means the girl survived. As long as she's alive we know we can be—" He cut off with a glare, as if angry that he'd been tricked into saying so much.

The teenager addressed one of the other prisoners. "How many more soldiers were with you?"

"Just one. There were only about eight civilians with us. We don't know what happened to everyone else. I don't know how we got separated."

Al turned to Winry. "Can you watch them until I send some people?"

"Leave them to me," the blond girl gave an evil grin. She methodically tapped a heavy tool against her palm and the men in the cellar looked nervous as the doors shut.

The young alchemist began walking, but Winry ran after him. "Wait! What are you planning?"

"I'll go to the train station and find some locals to come take care of them. It won't be hard to find the rest of their group. They sort of stand out."

"You got that right! I've never heard such strange accents in my life! Hold it…" She put her hands on her hips and looked about ready to whack him over the head with her wrench. "You won't be coming back, will you? You're going to get on a train, am I right?"

He shouldn't have mentioned the station. "I'm going to the city. All those people from Earth were split up and so were we, which means we must have come out in different places. The Gate's last openings were in Liore and Central, so I'm positive they appeared there too."

"Then why did you appear here in Resembool? There's never been a Gate opened here."

Al became abruptly somber. "There was once. Seven years ago…"

The reminder of the Homunculus and everything that went along with it seemed to end their conversation. He started walking again, but Winry's hand stopped him. She didn't look at him as she held out a small bag.

"The train isn't free, and you can't expect charity everywhere you go. You're lucky I carry extra cash on me. Tell Ed if he doesn't visit me soon I'm going to make sure his next tune-up is as painful as possible!"

:Q:

_The room reeked of sweat, and with so many people inside the air was stuffy as well. A myriad of faces passed by and Gina was struck by how few of them were the kind she'd imagined her tormentors to have. Some were her own age or younger, the vast majority appearing scared or nervous at the very least._

_Richter laid her down on a table and she stared senselessly upward. A man spoke over her._

"_What did you do?! How much did you give her?"_

"_This much." The sound of a syringe dropping to the floor was somehow loud._

"_Why? It'll kill her!"_

"_Then you'd better work fast. She wouldn't have helped if she still had enough will to resist. If that Gate doesn't open I'll make sure it's your fault."_

"_Y-yes sir."_

_A soft blue light shone above her, and it slowly shifted to purple in a mesmerizing way. The man's soothing voice lulled her into a dreamlike state..._

_Link...people walking past...through...children crying...Richter smirking—_

Gina woke abruptly, finding herself in a bed between crisp white sheets.

For a heart-stopping moment she thought she was back in the facility with its stark white walls and ceiling, but a window revealed an unfamiliar place she'd never been before. Gina found herself in a bed and someone had replaced her clothes with a nightgown of sorts.

She sat still in the bed for a few minutes, watching the sun hovering a few inches above the horizon. Was it sunrise or sunset?

Then she remembered her first sight of this strange place. There had been a room with people in it, guns trained on her and...and someone else...

"Whoever he is, he's not my father," she said aloud, her voice cracking painfully.

She desperately wanted to be wrong. Maybe he just hadn't recognized her. It was possible, wasn't it? If she looked him straight in the eye he'd know his own daughter, surely!

Her muscles seemed to be a bit more stable and she tried standing up. Although her legs wobbled, she managed to walk. Before she'd taken a step, though, the door opened and a tall blond man with an unlit cigarette in his mouth stood staring at her with suspicion.

"So you're awake. The Lieutenant Colonel will want to know." He spoke to someone behind him briefly and then turned back to watch her. "You know, you freaked us out appearing in the middle of a military base."

"What are you talking about?

The man's eyes narrowed and he didn't look very friendly at all. "Don't even try to pretend you don't know anything. It won't work. Doesn't matter if you're a civilian or not, we'll get the truth out of you."

She glared right back. "You may not have a _swastika_ but you act just like a Nazi. I won't tell you anything."

It looked like he was about to grab her when a voice from the doorway reined him back.

"Havoc, I did not ask you to interrogate her. Wait outside."

Somewhat chagrined, Havoc saluted to the man and left, closing the door behind him so that Gina and the Lieutenant Colonel were alone in the room.

They stood there for a few moments before she cried, "Why do you look exactly like my _tatko?!_ My…my father, I mean."

"Apparently it's beyond my control," he replied, every inch of him a soldier as unfamiliar to her as Havoc. "Are you Angelika, Gina, or Noah?"

She blinked in confusion and then remembered the fake passport her father had given her in case things went wrong. He must have found it in her pocket. "I'm Regina."

"What is your connection to the Elric brothers?"

She dropped her eyes and noticed the pocketwatch at his belt. "Al had a-a watch just like that! …I tried to take it and…well, they saved me from the Nazis even though I did that. They helped me. They're my friends."

"Why did they use Alchemy to heal you?"

"What? I don't—they healed me? I think I was drugged, but I don't remember them being there. Wait…how do you know them? Who are you, anyway? Is your name…Leroy Matusek?"

The corner of his mouth turned upward as if she said something funny. "I suppose I might as well introduce myself. Lieutenant Colonel Roy Mustang."

Roy, not Leroy. And his last name wasn't even close. She bit her lip and responded, "How do you know Ed and Al? Why are your watches the same?"

"Sadly, I don't have time to explain. Right now all I need to know is what you know."

"But I don't know anything! I have no idea where they are or how I even got here. Where am I? You kind of speak German, but just by looking out that window I know we're not in Germany."

"I'm not speaking 'German'. I speak Amestrian, and you are in Central, the capital of Amestris. If you have no information I can make use of then I will be on my way." The black-haired man turned but stopped before exiting. "I will allow you to do as you wish as long as you return here. You will have an escort at all times."

"A _military_ escort?" she asked. "I don't trust anyone in uniform."

"I will see if there is anyone else available. But you'll take what I give you, no complaints."

A moment after he left, Havoc came back in. "So I'm supposed to tell you the story of the youngest State Alchemist in history, huh? Well, settle down because it's one hell of a long story. What we know of it, that is."

The Slovakian couldn't help casting him a dubious look.

"What? You thought I was completely serious before? Well, the Lieutenant Colonel said you're harmless and I'm supposed to take care of you until tomorrow, so I might as well drop the tough-guy act. I guess I'll start with the day they showed up in Central. Six years ago there was a hostage situation on a train and those two happened to be there…"

_After sinking Khriein's empty buildings into the earth to hide it, rumors spread across the country: God had turned against the Christians, condemning them all and then leaving nothing behind to show that they ever existed. That was the final consensus which sparked the Burnings. Whole households of Christians rounded up and thrown onto bonfires…neighbors and even family members turning on one another in fear, jealousy or for revenge. Dante and I laughed at it, seeing the world become sensible at last…  
__**from the journal of Hohenheim written 1 month before his death**_

**I like reviews and I always reply to them, so don't be shy! Now I'm going to confront this problem in my fic, but I would like my reviewers to post their opinions as well: Ed has been drifting back and forth between Roze and Winry from the beginning of the anime, then the movie threw in Noah which made things even more complicated. Who do you think would work for him and don't forget to state your reasons!**


	7. Adjust

**Chapter 7: Adjust**

_I had given little thought to the state of the world or our effect on it until the first time I visited Ishbalan territory about 100 years after the destruction of Khriein. There was a collection of desert tribes that continued to live their beliefs publicly. I could not remember ever having heard of this group before, but listening to their stories and legends, I realized their beliefs stemmed back into the pre-Christian era in expectation of something they were not sure of._

_**from the journal of Hohenheim written 2 weeks before his death**_

The ceiling over Edward Elric slowly came into focus and the bleached stone all around made him think he was in a cell.

"What—where—?"

Someone came over to the bed he was in and he recognized the tanned skin of the desert people in Liore. Then he realized he'd healed that very woman from a bullet wound just before he passed out.

"You…are you all right?" he asked hoarsely.

She smiled wanly and handed him a cup of water. "I think I should be the one asking that. My gratitude cannot be expressed. You saved me and my son."

"But I didn't get there in time to save your husband," he said regretfully.

"Listen to me, Alchemist," she bent down. "You saved three lives today. That is more than others did. I request one thing from my rescuer: leave the mourning to us. For now I celebrate my life and thank you from the depths of my heart."

Ed nodded slowly after a moment. Then suddenly he shot straight up in bed. "Roze! Where is she?!"

The woman's son came into the room. "They took her. Right now men are trying to collect weapons so they can go after the strangers."

There was a derisiveness in his tone that suggested the posse being formed was useless.

"Why would they grab a helpless girl and her child?" the alchemist demanded, slamming his metal fist into the wall.

"They wanted me first. One of them shouted that they needed a local to guide them. I'm sure that's the reason they took her. They knew she wouldn't lead them astray if Michel's life was in danger."

"We need to catch up! Where would they go?"

"There are two passes through the mountains," the boy's mother pointed out the window into the dark night. "Only one is large enough for the trucks. The other is closer, but you'll never make it in time walking."

"There are no more vehicles in town?"

"The men are all taking them to go after Roze in the morning."

"The morning?! Are you telling me the person all of you followed two years ago has been kidnapped by strangers and you're not willing to go after her _now?_ She's in danger!"

"We are completely unprepared!"

Ed grabbed the long tan coat lying on the chair and donned it, muttering incoherently. Without giving them another glance he left the room. He was just opening the door when the boy he saved came after him.

"There is another way, but…" he glanced up the stairs to make sure his mother wasn't listening. Not satisfied, he motioned outside and both of them left the house.

"You have my full attention," Ed intoned as soon as they were alone.

"There's a motorcycle some troublemakers—er—_left_ here not too long ago, but it doesn't work. We've tried the fuel we use for our vehicles, but there's something wrong with it. We finally gave up."

"Hmm, so this motorcycle uses a higher fuel grade than you have available. Where's the petrol?"

"You mean you can fix the problem?"

"Well, I've never done any refining before, but just leave it to me!"

"I'll only show you the motorcycle and the fuel if you take me with you."

"What? I'm not going to take you with me! You'll just get in the way!"

"Fine. You can walk."

The Fullmetal Alchemist growled and glared, but didn't say anything else. It looked like his only chance to save Roze was by putting up with this jerk.

"Good. The name's Aaron. My mother will understand if I don't say goodbye. Eventually. Follow me."

:Q:

Al sat staring at the changing scenery through the train window.

"Why do we always get separated when we need to be together?" he wondered in something like despair.

He shook his head and focused on the problem at hand. The most recent puzzle about their return had been occupying his mind to the point of obsession. His father had been right about Gina being the key to opening a Gate and using Alchemy on Earth's side. What else was in that book?

The soldier's words had caused Al some confusion for a while before he recalled what else he'd said. The way back was meant to be destroyed…the way back being Gina. If she was still alive, that meant there possibly was a way back to Earth. That's what they were so afraid of.

It made sense. All of them had given up everything to journey through the Gate. If they were sent back, not only would they have lost their livelihoods and wealth for nothing, but their desertion and betrayal would very likely result in execution.

Amestris was all that was left to them.

And that meant they would do anything in their power to kill Gina if any other groups found out she was still alive. He just had to find her first. But that required finding some help.

Maybe two months ago he wouldn't have been bold enough to seek out Mustang, but now that his memories were restored, he knew their history. There was no doubt in his mind that the man would volunteer his services.

:Q:

Havoc finished up with a flourish of his unused cigarette.

"When the eyewitness came back she found Al, though instead of trapped in a suit of armor he was in his body again. Ed had disappeared, and for two years we had no idea what became of him. That's the condensed version, anyway."

"I never thought so much happened to them. I knew Ed was different because of his automail, but everything else… It seems too unreal.

"So Ed told you it was a parallel world, huh? We figured out it was a different world after the attack, but not that it had the same people as ours."

"Only appearances are the same. The Lieutenant Colonel looks exactly like my father."

"Hmm, that definitely explains your reaction to him."

The Slovakian briefly studied the view outside the window. Havoc had told her most of the Elric brothers' story the night before and then the rest that morning. It gave her a better idea of who they were and what they had gone through for each other. Pockets of information were still conspicuously absent, but at least now she was beginning to understand them.

"So this place is their world. I wonder if they felt this way in mine. Do you think it's possible for me to get back?"

The blond soldier shrugged. "Hard to say. It took Ed two years, then he went straight back without so much as a greeting or goodbye. It's still dangerous business. I wouldn't expect the Lieutenant Colonel to approve the use of forbidden Alchemy anytime soon. Even for his 'daughter'."

Gina didn't reply. She was lost in thought, surrounded by this unfamiliar scenery and strangers.

What now? What was she supposed to be doing here? Why had she been sent to this world? Would she have really ended up here if God didn't want it that way? It was impossible to find out by just sitting in this room.

The door opened and the woman who had been with Mustang the night before came in.

"The Lieutenant Colonel has ordered Regina to come to his office," Hawkeye said smartly.

The frightened butterflies flapping about in her ribcage betrayed her nervousness at the idea of seeing _him_ again.

She stood up and followed the woman, Havoc trailing exactly three paces behind her. It made Gina feel like a prisoner, but at least they weren't gripping her by the arm and hauling her along. They walked up a flight of stairs and down two hallways before Hawkeye and Havoc stood at attention on either side of a set of double-doors. They said nothing more and the young teenager pushed open the door with more bravado than she felt.

"Sir, you asked me to come here."

Mustang waved her inside absent-mindedly. There was plenty of paperwork on his desk and he had on a vexed expression as he sifted through it.

"This is what I hate most about being in a position of any importance. They seem to think I have nothing but time to play their Red Tape games during emergencies. Just sit right over there. Your new escort will be here soon."

"Thank you."

She sat down and fiddled with the buttons on her new blouse. It was too large, but it was either that or wear the very outlandish clothing that drew attention to herself. She much preferred it if people didn't stare at her.

After a few minutes the door opened and someone came in. Her chestnut hair was in a crazy mess and she was weighed down by a stack of books up to her chin. She looked sideways at Mustang since her glasses were crooked and spoke in a high voice.

"You wanted all the documents on the oldest forms and records of Alchemy, right sir?"

"Yes. Put them on that desk. Oh, and Sheska, you are our guest's escort for now. Regina, this—is something wrong?"

Gina stared at the woman in disbelief. "You…you're not married to him, are you?"

The two adults shot astonished looks at one another. Quite clearly, the thought had never once crossed either of their minds.

"Please, sir," she said somewhat faintly, "I would prefer someone else."

He paused for a moment before nodding. "Sheska, your services are not needed here and I'm sure you have much work to do."

"Y-yes!" She seemed very shocked by the idea of being married to him.

Before she reached the door, it opened and Ethertrace entered, appearing upset. "I'm sorry to intrude, Lieutenant Colonel, but it's happened all over this building."

"Are you sure?"

"We've been working on measuring the effects, but it's been fluctuating in different directions in the last hour. Some of us have gotten sick to the stomach, though only for a short time."

"This is not good. It's unstable and we don't know if the results could be permanent or not. It doesn't seem to bother anyone else, though. I want every State Alchemist to leave the premises until we can discern the problem. I want a team of volunteers who can—"

He stopped to stare at the two other females in the room. They stared back.

"Sheska, return to the records department. Regina, inform Havoc he will continue to be your escort until further notice."

He said her name exactly the same way _Tatko_ always had. She spun away as soon as that thought entered her mind.

Lieutenant Hawkeye came in once the room was empty but for him. "Did something disturb you, sir?"

Mustang faced the window with his hands behind his back. "Merely the idea that I could be married to Sheska."

If he'd been looking at her she wouldn't have batted an eye, but since he wasn't she allowed the surprise to show for a moment before recomposing herself. The Lieutenant Colonel smirked at her reflection in the window pane.

Down the hall, Gina walked beside Havoc with something of an annoyed expression. "Why is he evacuating people and why didn't he want to talk about it around me? It's not like I'd go around telling everyone."

"He wants to protect people, kid. And people always look up to someone who seems like he has all the answers even if he doesn't. By not expressing all his doubts or showing how nervous he really is, the Lieutenant Colonel is giving people confidence and they feel better."

"But what if they _shouldn't_ feel confident about the way things are handled? What if he makes the wrong choices and people get hurt? They'll feel betrayed by him."

"That's why Mustang takes _all _the responsibility for his decisions. If people are harmed, he takes the blame, even when he shouldn't have to. And even more, he thinks he deserves to feel guilty most of the time. We're trying to break him of that, but I'm not sure if it's working or not. I guess we'll just have to wait till he screws up again and see how he reacts."

Gina couldn't help giving a grin. "I thought he and my father had nothing whatsoever in common. But now…maybe they do. Oh, could you take me to the nearest Catholic Church? I've been unable to go for the past few weeks."

She went a few more steps without realizing he was no longer walking beside her. The Slovakian turned and saw Havoc staring at her with incredulity written all over his face.

"What is it? Did I say something wrong?"

"Don't mention that sort of thing around here! You may be able to get away with it in smaller towns, but the military's had a long history of putting down religious uprisings and most of the soldiers don't like people who worship gods."

Gina was confused and didn't bother to hide it. "_Gods?_ What kind of place is this? Nobody publicly goes to church?"

"There hasn't been a powerful organized religion in the last four hundred years."

He was ready to say more but someone began walking down the hallway and he straightened, taking Gina lightly by the arm as if he was guiding her.

"Let's go outside."

She was too dumbstruck by this new information to argue. Numbly, Gina got into the back of a car waiting outside the gate and he closed the door for her.

_For the first time I wanted to do something for others without any thought of what it would gain me. If Dante had been there she would have been furious, but she was not and I had a chance to think without her influence. The Ishbalans had been living as nomads for centuries and I spoke with their elders, offering them a home by using Alchemy. They agreed. It had been a very long journey for them._

_**from the journal of Hohenheim written 2 weeks before his death**_

**I'm going to try delving more into Christian overtones now. Out of curiosity, what religion is each of my reviewers? It's pretty obvious what I am. Proud cradle-Catholic, right here!**


	8. Faded Memories

**Chapter 8: Faded Memories**

_At the base of a mountain I created a city for the Ishbalans with the Philosopher's Stone, but there were unexpected elements in the rock I made it from. There was a bright, searing light that struck the onlookers practically blind. For days many of them couldn't see, and when sight did eventually return, their eyes had been stained red. It's a trait that never left that people...and created an aversion to Alchemy in their beliefs._

_**from the journal of Hohenheim written 2 weeks before his death**_

Havoc started the car. "I do know one church. Some alchemists visited it after Ed vanished… Something about a doorway being there, I think. Anyway, from what I remember, it was in fairly good condition but I heard Mustang mention the place got pretty smashed up after the people from your world came along. I guess we'll see for ourselves."

"So…no one goes to church?"

"Why should they? I suppose some might gather to pray together in churches out in the countryside, but here in Central it's a different matter. It's not just the military, but just about everyone who considers any specific religion to be a bad influence."

"Why? Was this a theocracy at one time?"

"I don't know. All the records from that time and farther back were either destroyed or tampered with. The originals are all missing. Only reports and records of Alchemy that weren't in the lost city survived."

"I'm getting more confused. What lost city?"

"A few hundred years ago a city stood on this very land. It was the center of the nation, and terrible things were done by that government, but no one at the time realized it."

"What kind of things?"

"I'm not sure. No one knows because the deeds were so terrible we wiped out all record of them."

"That's pretty silly! If you can't remember what they did, how will later generations know to avoid it?"

Havoc shrugged. "There's an older story about a different city that committed an unspeakable crime and received divine punishment. Fire consumed it and then it was covered by a sea. But that was thousands of years ago."

Gina instantly thought of Sodom and Gomorrah, but it could be a different place since those same cities might not have existed in this world.

"Everyone who supported the government gathered in the lost city and then…God sent down fire to burn them all. Once the people had died, the earth swallowed the remains of the city. It vanished in a single night. God's judgment."

Her brow wrinkled as she considered the things she'd been taught by her father. "That can't be… God wouldn't have… Are you sure it wasn't done by Alchemy?"

"Studies in Alchemy were as advanced as science. The Elements weren't even charted for another two hundred years."

"People can do things without understanding exactly how on a molecular level, you know. Music and song came before the treble symbol," she commented in a shrewd tone.

"Ah, here we are. Oh great…"

They pulled to a stop in front of a building. The steeple and bell tower of the church had survived somehow, but sections of the wall she could see had caved in from the impact of large debris. Still, the main structure's buttresses had held up despite the intense battering.

The girl left the car and walked hesitantly up the steps. She had to push aside some rubble to open the door, but at the sight of the carnage within she almost ran back to the vehicle. The only reason she didn't was because Havoc was watching her curiously.

Her self-conscious pride forced her through the door and she had to scramble through the remains of the fallen choir loft. There were only a few shards of stained glass left in the windows and most of the pews had broken or rotted where they stood.

The more she looked around, the more she was convinced it had once been a Catholic church. Her father had taught her how to recognize one. Many things were missing such as statues, but she could see the alcoves where they should have been. There was even space for the Tabernacle behind the altar, though it was gone too. But everything that had once made the church beautiful had fallen into disrepair or been stolen.

If only it hadn't suffered during that attack. To her it looked like the place had been in good condition for a long time, but now its pride had been stripped away by looting and damage.

Pride. Memory tugged at her mind…

_:M:_

_"There is an amount of pride every person should have. It's a pride and a devotion worth dying for."_

"Tatko_, that's so morbid." I wanted to laugh now just to relieve the tension. I didn't like such serious talks, but he continued._

_"Does that mean we should ignore the truth?"_

_I didn't answer._

"Milá_, (my darling) listen to me…_de cruce Apostolica."

_His words roughly meant "someone who belongs to the Apostolic cross."_

_Then _Tatko_ pulled out a strip of cloth from his pocket. I leaned forward as he unfolded it gently. The material was old and stained as if it had been cast away, but when I saw the design… There was something about it I couldn't quite grasp. _

_Three horizontal bands of color, white, blue and red, with an image of a shield just left of the center. On it was a downturned blue wave beneath a cross with two bars instead of one._

_I was so distracted by the flag I didn't pay any attention to his words. Suddenly I realized he'd asked me a question._

"_Do you understand what this means?"_

"_Yes."_

_:M:_

_Liar! _Debilný!_ (Idiot!) Stupid, stupid liar! Why didn't you ask? Why didn't you say, 'No, I don't'? **What** is my pride? Why can't I remember his words? __**What does it mean?!**_

Havoc made his way through the rubble and found her weeping behind a pillar a short time later.

She heard him approach, but he didn't speak and he didn't touch her. The soldier respected her privacy at the very moment when she needed contact with someone the most. It made her feel ashamed. Once she reclaimed her self-control, the Slovakian stood and faced him but kept her eyes tilted downward.

"All I want is to know that they're alive." Without another word, Gina left the dead church.

:Q:

"You know, it's a good thing you're not any bigger or else there wouldn't be enough room for you this motorcycle."

Ed's face contorted as he yelled, "_**Who are you calling small enough to stuff in a trashcan!?**_"

Aaron laughed as he glanced back at his irate passenger. "Relax, Alchemist! You take some things way too personally. Roze always did sing your praises any chance she got, but she never forgot to mention your height."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better about myself?!"

"You could say she said it endearingly."

"Ha ha. Just tell me how long it'll take to reach the other road." He looked around at the narrow mountain path they'd been following, though heavy fog disguised most of the area. It was nearly daybreak now.

"It's just ahead. We'll probably get there an hour before the strangers."

Plenty of time to set a few traps. Ed was busy considering what kind of surprise he could give them when Aaron pulled to a stop with a startled noise. The two trucks full of Germans were on the road below them!

Ed scrambled off the motorcycle and slapped his hands together. The earth rose up like a wall in front of the vehicles and they barely avoided crashing. The alchemist couldn't help grinning at their confusion.

Then one of the soldiers yanked Roze out of the cab as if displaying her. "Whoever you are, this girl's life is in your hands! We will kill her if you don't remove the barrier now!"

Someone else pulled Michel out too and he cried for his mother. Ed's fists clenched and he shut his eyes, trying desperately to come up with a solution. It was doubtful he could do any detailed work from this distance.

"Let her and the kid go, then I'll fix the road!" he called down.

The soldier looked around and finally saw Ed through the fog high above them. "You don't seem to understand. Your black arts don't scare us and we have two hostages we're more than willing to kill. Are you willing to let them?"

Roze gazed up at him, but she didn't attempt to speak.

"Just leave them behind!"

The man drew a gun and Aaron cried, "He's going to shoot her!"

He had alchemically smoothed a path down the mountainside and was sliding along before it registered in his mind exactly what he was doing. Ed had a split-second to form a blade along his metal arm before he hit the road and rolled twice, coming up beside Roze. His weapon struck the gun in an upward sweep, sending it flying. The point of the blade hovered an inch from the soldier's throat.

"Let me ask you something," Ed said through gritted teeth, "…are you willing to die for no reason?"

The other Nazis with weapons paused. Apparently this was their current leader. He released Roze and she ran to Michel, lifting her son into her arms and running toward the other path where Aaron was waiting.

"I would have let you go if you had just let me have them, but now I won't."

Before anyone could move, ice formed around the trucks in the shape of thick bars. Some of it punctured the trucks' tires, making a quick escape impossible even if they hadn't been imprisoned.

"If you shoot me now, you'll never get out of those. I'm the only one who can melt these. Get it? You have no idea how easy it would be for me to kill you. I want every gun, every rifle tossed over here _now_. Don't make me regret letting you live!"

Once there was a pile of firearms at his feet, Ed melted them and the liquefied metal streamed into ruts of the road. He joined the others and motioned them toward the stone barrier crossing the road. In the space of seconds it had receded into the earth. They walked away from the trucks until they were out of earshot.

"Is it true?" Aaron asked in awe. "Are you the only one who can melt those bars?"

"What, you mean I was really that convincing? I don't know any kind of Alchemy that could prevent ice from melting. It's a good thing there is so much fog, otherwise the bars would have been too brittle. They should last until I can send some reinforcements for you."

"You're leaving, Ed?"

He turned to Roze and nodded. "This is goodbye."

"No. Not again. Not this time. I'm going with you!"

"Going!" Michel laughed from his mother's arms.

"I can't let you come, Roze. I don't know what'll happen to me, but no matter what I do, it always involves danger and I don't want to expose you to that."

"If you go without me, I'll just follow! I'm tired of seeing you walk away, Edward! For once I'm going to do what I've wanted since the first time we met: be at your side."

"No."

The silence stretched between them, both glaring at the other, neither willing to back down from their decision. Even Michel detected the seriousness and kept quiet.

"Do…do you really hate me that much, Ed?" Her deep brown eyes finally turned downward in pain.

He blinked in surprise. "_What?_ What ever gave you that idea?"

"Every time I saw you…you acted as if you want nothing more than to be with me. But the moment it was time for you to leave…you changed. I could never tell if your feelings toward me were more or less than friendship."

"Does it really matter that much to you?"

"You know the answer to that."

The Fullmetal Alchemist walked a few paces and stared at the lightening sky. "Aaron, stay here until either the ice melts or reinforcements arrive. Coming, Roze?"

_Dante rebuked me for using the Stone to aid others. She told me that we were guides to ensure they did not meddle with the natural order of the world, but instead I had meddled with them and been the worst example. She went on and on, describing a vision of herself as a hidden queen, dictating the direction of men through the ages and leading them to a perfect existence. This sudden outburst allowed me to see her for the first time as a selfish young girl who merely happened to be gifted with great knowledge of Alchemy. Did that knowledge alone decree she deserved to be the sole judge of humanity's fate?_

_That night I spoke with my Homunculus-son, Adrian, telling him I had to leave but that I would always love and miss him. He promised not to tell his mother where I went. And so, shortly afterward I took all but a shard of the Philosopher's Stone and vanished. If I had known then that his hatred would turn him into spiteful Envy, I would have taken him with me._

_**from the journal of Hohenheim written 2 weeks before his death**_

**Yeah yeah, I know I procrastinate way too much. Believe me, I get that all the time. Luckily I work well under pressure and my grades don't suffer b/c of it. Now it's poll-time!  
****Which homunculus would you consider the nastiest or the coolest or whatever? Don't forget to say why!**


	9. The First Story

**Chapter 9: The First Story**

**Sorry it's been well over a month since my last submission, but I was studying for my Mid-Program Evaluation, which is the test that determines whether or not I can take Interpreting classes. I got 83 on the written part, and 78 on both the expressive and receptive, so I'm rather proud of myself.**

_I tried to avoid people after that, deciding Dante's view was correct. The gratitude I had expected was nothing short of banishment from the Ishbalan lands. I went to a rural area beyond the mountains and began conducting research on the human body, mainly based off the knowledge I'd received when I looked into the Gate. I traveled often to visit hospitals and graveyards (the latter action I am now deeply ashamed of), but I always returned to that place to piece together my observations and hypotheses._

_**from the journal of Hohenheim written 1 week and 4 days before his death**_

It took Ed, Roze and Michel almost four hours to hike to the nearest town. Since there wasn't enough room for all three of them on the motorcycle, they'd been forced to leave it behind with Aaron. He hoped the ice cages hadn't melted too much.

There was some difficulty getting the people of the town to believe him, though. They continued giving him odd side-looks and only the presence of Roze enticed anyone to respond to his words. Eventually a few dozen men left to investigate. The three travelers left shortly after, and Ed still couldn't understand why everyone was looking at him strangely.

"Did they all recognize me? I've never been through this town before, so why wouldn't they quit staring?"

Roze and Michel glanced at each other and the little boy burst out laughing. She tried to hide her smile behind a hand, but by that time Ed had crossed his arms and stood waiting impatiently for the answer.

"Your clothes," she finally said behind a muffled giggle. "They look so funny!"

He looked down and admitted the fashions in Germany didn't exactly blend in very well here. Luckily, being an alchemist had its uses for creature comforts. In moments his trenchcoat had changed into the red alchemist cloak he'd worn throughout his journey with Al, and his other clothes became something reminiscent of his old outfit.

Ed stretched. "I guess I'd gotten so used to 'em that I didn't realize how uncomfortable they were! Do I look better now?"

"Can Alchemy do anything for the size of objects?"

He glared.

:Q:

Gina ignored everything even after they reached Headquarters. If she'd been paying any attention she would have noticed soldiers hurrying about and trying not to look like they were.

Havoc was worried and told her to return to her room while he got something from the mess hall. On his way he encountered Feury and had to grab him to keep the guy from running past.

"Hey, hey! Could you tell me why everyone seems to be on edge?"

"What? You mean no one told you? All the alchemists except Lieutenant-Colonel Mustang have left the area. It has something to do with their Alchemy."

Suddenly Second-Lieutenant Hawkeye was at his elbow. "Come with me, Havoc. Feury, attend your duties."

Still confused, he followed without question. She led him into an empty office and carefully closed the door. "The disturbance affecting everyone's Alchemy started yesterday night actually. About the time that Regina woke up. And it started again in the morning, then it went away, and about ten minutes ago it came back."

"Hold on, Lieutenant. Are you saying that whatever is going on with the Alchemy around here is caused by Gina?"

"Precisely. Mustang solved it after you took her off the premises. Her return at the same time as the resurgence of the anomaly minutes ago only served to prove his suspicions."

"Wait, why are you telling me this?"

"Because of her aversion to Sheska, Mustang has appointed you as her guardian until further notice." She looked at the man with something of a detached air. "He wants you to keep her away from Headquarters as much as possible."

"Should I tell her why she's suddenly not allowed here?"

"That is advisable." Hawkeye started to turn away.

"If I may ask," he began, "how exactly did the Lieutenant Colonel find out the problems were caused by Gina?"

She seemed to be considering her words carefully.

:

_Lieutenant Colonel Roy Mustang stood at his window appearing to observe the steady flow of traffic through Central. Inside, his mind was absorbed with the mystery surrounding the alchemic disturbance._

_He held up one gloved hand and snapped his fingers. The ignition cloth sparked where it rubbed together, but all his willpower couldn't manipulate that spark into any sort of controllable flame. _

_With a barely-repressed snarl he turned to the books Sheska had brought. He'd thought of having her summarize them since much of the language was older, naturally making it more difficult to understand, but since she wasn't an alchemist she wouldn't have any idea what to look for. Then again, neither did he._

_Mustang glanced back out the window in time to see the figure of Havoc leading Gina by the arm toward a car. He appeared to be berating her, which was a surprising sight since everyone always seemed to either mock or rebuke Havoc himself._

_Hawkeye arranged the papers on his desk and with a monotone voice she said, "The alchemists have all been informed of their immediate departure, Sir. The other soldiers will notice."_

"_No one is affected except us."_

"_Then you should leave too, Sir."_

"_I won't abandon my men to a danger I refuse to face myself. Don't mention that again, Lieutenant." He glanced outside and saw Havoc pulling away with Gina sitting in the back of the car. "How did she get here?"_

"_Are you asking my opinion about the Matusek girl, Sir?"_

"_If you have one."_

"_I don't."_

"_Then no. I just find it funny that all my problems happen at once."_

_With a sigh he absently snapped his fingers again. The resulting explosion threw them both back and destroyed his desk. Books, papers, and charred pieces of wood went flying all over the room._

:

"Trial and error," she supplied before leaving.

Havoc wondered about her terse answer (as well as that smoky perfume she was wearing) but was more concerned with the fact that he would be babysitting far longer than he'd originally planned. Gina was probably going to be in a foul mood about the whole ordeal too.

She was.

"Are you saying everything is _my_ fault?! He just wants to get rid of me, doesn't he? Ever since we met he's been itching to throw me out, to get rid of someone who sees him as a different person."

"Regardless of that, I have my orders and we're leaving."

"It's because I told him who my mother is, isn't it? Does he hate her?"

"If you want to know, go ask him yourself."

Upset, she followed him and they were once more driving through Central. As Gina sat in the back, she suddenly couldn't get the church out of her head. The more she tried to ignore it, the more she felt it was the right place to be. She couldn't say why, though.

"Mr. Havoc, could we go back to the church?" she finally asked.

"Why? I thought you said it was too depressing."

"I need to go back."

"I was going to take you to—"

"The church, please."

Havoc was ready to ignore her, but when he glanced into the rear-view mirror and saw the confusion in her downcast eyes, he changed his mind. A short while later they pulled in front of the church they'd visited an hour earlier.

"Do you want me to come with you?"

She didn't appear to hear him. The lieutenant watched as she walked up the steps and through the broken doorway a second time.

Everything was exactly the way she'd seen it before. Why was she here again? There didn't seem to be any point. But even as she stood there, Gina realized she wasn't alone.

A little girl with blond pigtails about six years old sat in the corner near one of the broken windows. "Sorry," she whispered.

"About what?"

"Grown-ups get mad when we come here."

Gina almost laughed. "I'm not _that_ old. I won't get upset if you come. It's a broken church, but I like it here."

"Me too. I wish I could see it again when it was pretty. There was a lady in this window I really liked. She was holding a lamb and there was a plant with long leaves behind her."

"That would be Saint Agnes," Gina said before it occurred to her that this world might have different saints too.

"Agnes? Is she a goddess?"

"What? No, of course not! She was a special girl who was so faithful that she died for her beliefs. Her name means 'lamb' and 'pure' in Latin."

"Then if she's just a person why was she in the window?"

The older girl sat down and screwed up her face, wondering how to explain it to a six year-old. "You have pictures of your family, don't you?"

"Yeah."

"This is the same thing. She's a member of our family, so we have a picture to remember her for her courage and love. You know, when she was twelve there was a man who wanted to marry her, but she wanted to be single. He was so upset that he had her tortured and she didn't even protest no matter what they did. I wish I was as strong as her."

It wasn't a very good story or told very well, but it was the first story that started it all.

The young visitor stared at the empty space in the window for a few seconds before turning back. "You know about this church?"

"I understand some things about it."

"What do the pictures on the ceiling mean?"

Gina looked upward and noticed frescoes that had remained untouched by the damage. She immediately recognized them.

"Those are the six Covenants, promises made to people by God. They start down there," she pointed to the back of the church where the choir loft once was, "with those two people: Adam and Eve."

She shortly described the Covenants, from marriage to household, tribe, nation, and kingdom and how each one was larger than the last. Then she pointed to the one near the very front of the church.

"There is the last Covenant He made. That's Jesus, and he gave himself up for the world."

Gina was inwardly pleased that she remembered so much from her father's lessons, but suddenly looked down and realized the girl hadn't followed it. She should have expected as much since there was very little religion promoted in this world. If a stranger started rattling off random stories and names to Gina, she probably would have gotten lost too.

"Why did you come?"

The question caught her off-guard. "I—I'm not sure. I think I have a job to do here."

"Are you going to fix the church?" The little girl's eyes suddenly grew wide and she looked earnest.

"It couldn't hurt to try."

"I'll help!"

Despite her misgivings, she nodded. "The rocks here in the back need to be moved outside first. Oh, and I'm Gina."

"My name's Lisa. I can get a wheelbarrow from my home. It's just a couple blocks away. I'll be back!" She ran outside excitedly.

Fifteen minutes later Lisa returned with the wheelbarrow, three other girls, and a boy. They were all around six or seven, and stared silently at Gina as if she was from another world...which was a very ironic thought since it was true.

"She knows who the Lamb-Lady is," Lisa whispered.

The boy seemed to be the bravest. "What about the window next to it? The one with a man."

"Can you describe him and anything he was holding?"

He thought for a moment. "It was an old man with a beard. He had a walking stick, but it had flowers sticking out of the top."

Gina grinned good-naturedly. "How about this: I'll tell you one story and you help me for a little while. When we get bored with that I'll tell another story, and then you'll help me some more. Sound good?"

The girls shrugged, not sure if they were interested, but the boy and Lisa nodded.

"Okay. His name was Joseph. He holds a staff because there's a legend about the day he and some other men were trying to decide which of them would marry a very special, beautiful young woman..."

_After I found an intruder rifling through my belongings and encouraged him forcefully to seek elsewhere, I realized it was too dangerous to place all my research in one binding. The intruder turned out to be an informant for the government and my research had not gone unnoticed by others. I broke apart my work barely in time. When four alchemists arrived leading a small army of men wielding swords and other crude arms, I decided the best course of action was to remain hidden and unknown. The only document they discovered was my research on the nervous system, especially the work I had done on those with amputated limbs. _

_**from the journal of Hohenheim written 1 week and 3 days before his death**_

**Okay! Now that's done and I can go another three months without writing more than a paragraph. Honestly, I'll try to work on it more often. You wouldn't believe how difficult this is for me!**

**But out of curiosity, if you were able to use Alchemy here what would you do with it? Build, destroy, goof off?**


	10. Changes

**I may promise I'll update more frequently but I have a bad habit of being a victim of the old adage "Easier said than done."**

** Chapter 10: Changes**

_30 years after my research was stolen, the first attempt at replacing a missing limb with one made of metal took place. It worked only for a short time and it was excruciatingly painful for the test subject, but the point was that it worked. The field of Automail was born._

_**from the journal of Hohenheim written 1 week and 2 days before his death**_

"Looks like you're starting to make a dent in it," Havoc whistled.

He was being generous. Gina looked around at all the work left to do and cringed. Much of the debris was too large to move by hand, especially with no other help than the children. There were more of them now after just two days, but only one was older than twelve. Still, they had cleaned the area around the entrance and cleared away some of the broken pews so that it appeared less ruined.

"Maybe," she replied distractedly. "I doubt we would ever be able to restore it."

"Then why are you trying?"

"I'm not sure. It could be the connection to familiar things, or even just feeling useful _doing_ something. Or maybe it's the kids. I haven't decided."

"And you're sure you don't need my help?"

She grinned up at him. "Have you seen the looks they give you whenever you come in here? I get the feeling there'd be twenty more of them if you weren't around at all."

"Am I really that scary?"

"Must be."

"Then I'll just go wait in the car. I had no idea being your guardian would involve so much work."

"Oh, Lieutenant! Have you thought about my idea yet?"

He paused, obviously torn. After a few seconds he finally answered, "I need Mustang's approval."

"There are still refugees in this city, Sir! Even if it was just a little food and supplies, maybe they could keep coming and more might come too."

"It's still his decision, but I'll propose it tonight."

She sighed. "Thank you."

As he left, Gina noticed a small group was busy working to shift a boulder away from the stairway that went up to the remains of the choir loft. A locked door had prevented anyone from going up there so far and she was secretly glad. The last thing she wanted was one of the children falling and possibly getting killed from curiosity.

The boulder had been partially supporting the stairs and as it moved, the girl saw wood bending beneath weight it could no longer hold.

"Get back!" she pulled them away as the steps collapsed.

When the dust settled and the children stopped coughing, one of them by the name of Sara started digging through the rubble.

"I saw something fall down," she claimed. "Ah!"

Sara held a spherical object and Gina came up short with a gasp. It was mostly red with dull metal knobs and what looked like a vault wheel screwed to the top. She recognized it immediately, but knew the children would be even more interested in it if she started screaming and yanked it away.

"Oh, it's just one of those," she shrugged as if 'one of those' wasn't worth defining. "It looks broken. I'll throw it away."

She took it from the now-indifferent Sara and other children started clearing away the broken wood while Gina walked to the side exit. The second she was out of sight she started running toward the front where Havoc was, but after a moment she skidded to a halt.

He was part of the military. If this really was the bomb Ed had taken out of the safe, then the military would be the worst party to give it to. But that thought raised another question: how did the bomb get there?

It was too much of a coincidence that she would be drawn to the one place in the entire city where it had been transported. Or was it even the same? Were there more? She had no way to find out until she met Ed again. _If _she met Ed again.

Sure that a child would come out any second, Gina shoved the bomb into a hole beneath the steps and rolled a heavy stone in front of it. Making sure that she couldn't see it from any angle, the girl returned inside to tell another story to the children and try to forget about the object outside.

:Q:

Stormclouds darkened the sunset early and Ed found a sheltered place along the path where they could camp. After a brief light show, several trees fused their limbs and roots together, creating a hollow large enough for the three of them to comfortably occupy. Roze slid her fingers along the intertwining branches, seeing that even the leaves had filled in all the cracks.

"So it _was_ a good idea to bring you along," she mused.

"I'll be surprised if we even notice that it rains tonight," he gloated with arms crossed.

"This will kill the trees, won't it?"

Ed paused and looked at the construct as though trying to decide how he could repair the trees without damaging them further in the process. "Well, that is a matter of… Hmm. Yeah, looks like it."

Roze placed her sleeping son inside the shelter as she shook her head with a smile. "If you had lived in the desert as long as I have, you'd be much less inclined to use living things as tools when earth will suffice."

"Earth is harder to move. Trees just bend and hardly any energy is required."

"You never seem to have any trouble."

"Looks can be deceiving," he sighed.

The woman squinted into the distance. "Maybe two days more before we reach Eln. From there we can take the train straight to Central where you can meet with the military."

"I still haven't decided if I should go to Central or Resembool yet. Al could be at either one, or even the island at Dublith…if he made it at all."

He busied himself making a small fire in the entrance of the shelter.

"So..." Ed said after a period of silence. "It looks like you've moved on. Liore seemed much nicer than I remember."

"Well, it _was_ a pile of sand last time you were there," she laughed quietly. "And you? Did you move on?"

"Most of the time it felt like I hadn't. But I think I finally did when I made the choice to go back to that world two months ago. It's ironic that once I accepted it, I ended up right back here."

Darkness fell and Edward's eyes kept drifting to Michel, asleep on her lap. She rocked him, humming softly. The alchemist started to smile at the scene but stopped, turning away guiltily.

"It's time for us to talk, Edward. I see the questions in your eyes and I'm willing to answer them. Are you willing to listen?"

He looked into Roze's face and saw the serene, patient beauty of a mother. Ed bowed his head in apology.

"It's my fault. If I hadn't gone to Liore none of it would have happened! You—they never would have—" He groped for words, but couldn't even bring himself to name the crime against her. "Why does everything I do turn out this way?"

Her hand found his and held it lightly. "If it gives you any comfort, I am glad I have Michel."

"But don't you ever think about…about _him?_ His father?"

Ed wanted to kick himself after such a personal question that was obviously none of his business, but Roze held his hand tighter and spoke. Her voice didn't waver, almost as if she had been expecting this question.

"I used to have nightmares about it incessantly until he was born. It made all the difference having him. If I hadn't gotten pregnant, I doubt I would have been strong enough…" She paused to take a deep breath. "I couldn't speak, Ed. I couldn't tell anyone about my pain. They tried to help and comfort me, but it wasn't enough. Michel…he brought healing to me in a way that nothing else could have. There are two reasons I didn't kill myself afterward and he was one."

"And the other?"

She laughed, a surprising sound after such a serious confession. "You really are a bit slow, aren't you? That's all right. I like you better when you're clueless."

Edward stiffened, suddenly catching her meaning. "Roze, I've told you before that we're just friends."

She leaned against the wall of the shelter, settling back and closing her eyes. Far-off thunder made the earth tremble beneath them. "Edward, I made a promise to Michel when he was born: I would never take a husband."

Roze noticed him visibly relax. She smiled to herself, wondering if she would ever have a chance to tell him the other half of the promise. But even as the thought crossed her mind, an unwelcome memory pushed its way forward and she shuddered, pulling Michel closer.

A heavy, cleansing rain fell that night.

:Q:

It was just past midday when Alphonse Elric stepped onto the crowded train platform and looked around. Central was recovering. He could see many buildings that had been rebuilt and the majority of people who had arrived with him seemed to be returning home.

He wondered if it would be better to see the Lieutenant-Colonel first, but he couldn't get his theory out of his head. If Ed or Gina had been transported too, the likelihood that they were in Central was high. The most probable place for them to be was the underground city.

Al began walking in the direction of the nearest entrance to the secret place. But since the ships that attacked Central had broken through the surface, the city down below would no longer be a secret. Was it possible that there were people studying the ruins and searching for explanations even now?

He hurried along the roads, drawing some attention, but no one hailed him. When he reached the church, Al drew up short. A soldier was sitting in a car just outside!

When he approached, he recognized the soldier as Lieutenant Havoc. The boy wondered how he was able to keep the unlit cigarette in his mouth while snoring so loudly. Curiosity prompted him to slip inside the church and see who he had driven there.

He remembered exiting the underground city from this place two months before and barely making it out before the tunnel collapsed from the explosions both above and beneath. It appeared someone had been clearing the rubble away. He hardly entered the building when he heard a familiar voice nearby. Al stopped and listened carefully as Gina told a story.

"Then what?" a little girl piped up. "Did Samson get his wife back?"

"No. He was so angry at them that he caught three hundred foxes, set fire to their tails and released them into the harvest of his enemies. When they found out, they came back and murdered his wife then went after him. He picked up a donkey's jawbone and became so fierce that he killed a _thousand_ of them."

The children laughed outright at that.

"Years later, he met a woman named Delilah and fell in love. She pestered him again and again to find out how his strength could be bound. Finally after so much nagging, he admitted his hair was the source…"

Al peered around the side of the column and was surprised to see so many children sitting at her feet. There were almost twenty of them.

"…and he begged God to lend him strength one last time. Suddenly he pushed the pillars holding up the house and it came crashing down, killing more enemies than he'd ever killed before in his life. But he died too."

One of the young ones spoke up, "Why did he lose his strength? It was just his hair."

"Ah, but it wasn't just the hair. He was very proud. Samson knew what he was not supposed to do and did it anyway. He touched the rotting lion and shared the honey from it with his family without telling them where it came from. That wasn't just disgusting, but forbidden. Plus, he told Delilah his secret."

"He was just stupid. I wouldn't've told," a boy said loudly. Some of the other boys chuckled.

"Well, someday when you are faced with something like that you'll keep the secret instead. Okay!" She stood up and clapped her hands together. "We can still work on the left wing and move—_Al!?_"

The girl stared as if seeing him for the first time.

He shrugged almost apologetically. "I finally got here."

A split second later he nearly fell over as she crashed into him. "What happened? Where's your brother?"

Al was too surprised to do anything but hold Gina and look over her shoulder at all the children. Most of them were trying to keep very serious expressions on their faces, but it wasn't working for the most part.

"Why don't you kids call it quits for the day?" he suggested.

They looked to Gina for approval and she nodded, smiling so much that she bit her bottom lip self-consciously.

"Miss Gina, what about the food?"

"If you'll wait by the car for a few minutes I'll make sure Lieutenant Havoc gives it out," she assured them. They filed out, leaving the two elder teenagers behind.

Al rubbed the back of his neck and gave a sheepish smile. "It really wasn't my fault it took so long to get here. I didn't expect there to be so much construction in the countryside. I think every small town in Amestris is connected to the railroad now. It might have been faster to walk."

"I'm just glad you're here! I've been alone for so long, and soldiers aren't exactly the best company. That's why I've been spending so much time here with the children. Oh, and they're also blaming me for blocking their Alchemy, so they make me leave Headquarters every day."

He stepped back, looking her up and down twice before saying, "Obviously this requires more explanation."

"Mustang would probably make more sense. I don't understand it at all. He's been taking care of me for the past week ever since I woke up in his office and... What exactly happened back in Germany?"

Al considered what he knew and finally heaved a sigh. "It would probably be best to wait until we get a chance to talk with Mustang so that I don't have to tell the story more than once."

She agreed and pulled him outside by the arm. Then suddenly Gina put her hands on her hips and stared at the children with disapproval. Two of them had long blades of grass and were tickling Havoc as he dozed. The man would twitch and every time his cigarette came dangerously close to falling out of his mouth, all the kids would hold their breath.

"Stop teasing Lieutenant Havoc!" she banged on the car's hood and the sound jolted him awake.

The boys and girls scampered a short distance off, shrieking playfully. He caught sight of Al and got out of the car so quickly that he hit his head. Still wincing, Havoc managed to salute.

"It's great to see you've returned safely, Alphonse Elric!"

"Uh, I'm not exactly part of the military, Lieutenant Havoc."

"It makes no difference to—wait, you remember me?!"

Al tapped his head with a smile. "Yep. Got my memories back when I was with my brother. But if you don't mind, I'd like to talk to Mustang as soon as can be arranged."

"First things first," Gina interjected. "Don't forget to give the kids those rations!"

_If I had known Adrian would become so bitter at my departure, I would have taken him with me at the very beginning. Instead I forgot my duties as a father and when he found out I had married Trisha…the cycle of ever-growing hatred finally reached its peak. He truly became Envy, and what little humanity he had left vanished. He transformed into a giant serpent, abandoning even the appearance of a man. A Homunculus trapped here, not even able to associate with others to take away the pain of loneliness. All because of me. I hate myself…_

_**from the journal of Hohenheim written 2 years before his death**_

**Well, I've been trying to branch out and find some interesting music to listen to, so I'd like some suggestions. What kind of music do you like? And if you think a certain band is pretty good then please share it with me.  
I like Nightwish and E Nomine!**


	11. A Reminder

**Thanks for all the musical suggestions! I found a couple bands I like and even though some of them weren't my style, I still enjoyed listening to all the different types.  
Also, I would like to dedicate this particular chapter to Dan since he let me stay w/ him and his family last week. I had a really great time and maybe you'll come visit me in Texas someday (when it's not blistering hot!).**

** Chapter 11: A Reminder**

_Envy's presence here prevents Regina from tapping into the power given to her. The solidity I sensed around him is a block, but I know he cannot return through the Gate and it's almost impossible to kill him. In my last letter to her I asked if she felt anything strange on the date that Envy came here and was not surprised when she replied affirmatively. 'I felt cold through and through, the way a reptile does when it's placed in a bucket of frozen water. It's been a long time, but the feeling is still there even if it's...muted.' Her exact words. As long as he is here she cannot open a Gate._  
_**from the journal of Hohenheim 4 months prior to his death**_

Lt. Colonel Roy Mustang listened quietly, hands folded on his new desk, expression unreadable. When Al had finished speaking, he slowly rose to his feet and walked around the desk to face him.

"It seems to me that book Edward has contains the most information that might help us better understand what Gina is."

"Sir, are you implying she might not be human?" Al's voice went cold as he detected the strange tone. "Because there is no way I can allow you to treat her like an experiment."

"I am not attempting any such thing, but others may. It isn't natural that a teenage girl can pass from one world to another, and especially with the ability to transport others as well. You saw how she was already used by that man to bring people here. If anyone else with enough desire to start a new life in a new world got their hands on her, we'd have no choice but to—"

Al stepped closer to cut him off, eyes hard and expression grim. "_No choice?_ Is that supposed to be some kind of excuse for killing an innocent girl?"

Mustang didn't back down, but he didn't appear hostile either. "I wouldn't do that and you know it, Alphonse. We would have to protect her with everything we have."

"Does that include keeping her against her will? You'd be just like them! There's always a choice, no matter how small or improbable it may be! She's is not a criminal and she's not inhuman."

"But can you assure me she's not dangerous?"

Al's stance wavered. "She would never hurt anyone on purpose."

"But it's already been proven that she _can_. Am I correct?"

"That's not the point! You can't imprison someone who has done nothing wrong!" He clenched his fists and refused to back down, but the Lt. Colonel narrowed his eyes.

"Are you prepared to fight the military's decision?"

"That depends on what it is."

:Q:

Edward Elric leaned back in the seat as the train started moving again. For some reason it was making more stops than he remembered from years before. Every car was filled, though not uncomfortably so. No one paid them any mind, thankfully.

He yawned and noticed the sleeping form of Michel shift and snuggle against him. Roze noticed as well and smiled at him from the other side of her son. Ed couldn't help cracking a smile too, and wrapped his real arm comfortingly around the boy.

An old woman sewing loose buttons onto a blouse in her lap looked up and saw them. "Oh my… What a lovely family you make! It's so nice to see young people as happy as you two making this world a better place. I hope you'll be moving to Under."

Ed was making some very odd strangled noises and trying to figure out how to tell the old lady the truth when Roze spoke up. "Thank you so much! I don't believe anyone has ever complimented us like that before. Could you do me a favor, Ma'am? We have no idea what this 'Under' is that everyone seems to be talking about. Could you explain it to us?"

The woman appeared surprised and set the blouse aside. "Why…you are traveling to Central and haven't heard? Two months ago during the attack the earth opened up, revealing a much older city buried beneath, perfectly preserved. Most of the people on this train are seeking to live there."

Both Ed and Roze had gone still, remembering the last time they had been there. The woman hardly perceived their expressions and continued.

"Since Under is made up entirely of unclaimed houses, many families have simply moved in. I've heard they line the streets with hundreds of lanterns because sunlight only touches a small corner of the city. The military tried to keep people out at first, but the place was so large that they couldn't find most of the families, and they would simply move to a different house once discovered. Finally they began allowing people to come, though only in areas that were proven safe. Oh my… I do believe that's my grandson over there poking through that woman's carpetbag."

She stood up and shuffled down the aisle to scold the little boy, leaving the two adults sitting in their seat, considering this news. Ed finally opened his mouth.

"I have two questions… Why would anybody want to live there? And why exactly did you tell her we're a couple?!"

"I can't answer the first, except to say that some people will live anywhere with those they love. As to the second, did you want to draw attention to yourself by loudly denying everything that nice lady said?" she asked calmly. "You get flustered so easily that it's hard _not_ to tease you!"

"I just wish she'd said anything else."

"Are you really that terrified of commitment?"

"Huh? I—no, of course not! I just don't know if…" he trailed off, remembering Winry and the way she was always asking him to come home.

The woman brushed back her strawberry-colored bangs with a sigh. "Ed, how long are you going to keep running?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You face danger without a second thought, but when it comes to people you always have a hard time sticking around."

"I've always had things to do."

"But once you find Al and your friend, what then? When there's no treasure left to seek, will you really stop running off in search of it?"

Ed's gaze wandered and he stared out the window. "I don't know. Before Mom died we wanted nothing more than to stay at home forever, and afterward we couldn't imagine staying anymore, so we started moving…and never stopped. I just get the feeling that if I ever did stay in one place for long, it would be like trying to imitate something we used to have when she was still there…and it would be nothing but a lie."

"It would."

Her response was so short and certain that Ed looked at her in confusion. Whatever he had been expecting, it wasn't that.

"If you tried to make a home like the one you lost, you'll find nothing but misery because you will always be aware that something is missing. Measuring one home against another and judging them solely on what lacks will give you nothing but unhappiness. You have to learn to see things as they are, of themselves without comparison. Just as the value of a person cannot be found comparing her to others, the same goes for the heart of a home."

Ed stared at her for several moments. She was gazing past him out the window in silence…just giving that soft smile that always seemed to disarm him. He leaned back to look at her—_truly_ look—for the first time since he'd met her three years before.

"Did you really miss me?" he asked after a few silent moments.

Roze met his eyes and nodded slowly, honestly. "Every day. Did you miss me?"

The alchemist hesitated, not willing to spout out the first answer that came to mind. After a few lengthy moments he replied, "I didn't know how much I missed you until I saw that Nazi hold a gun to your head. It's only now that I realize it."

A sudden decrease in speed caused them to tilt forward in their seat, unwittingly waking Michel. He yawned and begged to know if the trip was over. Ed looked outside and was surprised to see that they had finally come to the city. In fact he'd been staring at the outlying buildings during his discussion with Roze, but hadn't paid attention to them, his mind elsewhere.

"I need to find Mustang first. As much as I hate to admit it, he's the one who can help me the most."

As they exited the train, Ed couldn't keep his eyes from straying to her.

He remembered Winry with fondness. Her temper and spontaneity, then her honesty and thoughtfulness… She would get so angry at times, and then turn around and comfort him when he needed it most.

Roze… At first he couldn't think of anything particularly distinct about her personality, and then he realized it was because of her shy nature. Everything about her was reserved and quiet, always waiting patiently with a persevering strength that would put any man to shame. Roze had become the leader of Liore through her silent example despite all the suffering she'd undergone. Those occasional flashes of stubbornness proved she could act too, and when she displayed anger it was for good reason rather than thoughtless reactions. But her insights were so much more than simply words of advice… The way she said them…

Was it possible? Had he always felt this way about her without knowing it?

He tightened his jaw and shoved the feelings aside. They were just distractions anyway. He needed to focus on what was important _now_.

:Q:

Gina gazed up at the featureless ceiling. She'd been waiting for almost an hour and the only evidence that Mustang and Al were still awake in his office was the occasional risen voice, mostly Al's.

Gooseflesh had been prickling her skin ever since she arrived from all the people on base attempting to do Alchemy. They knew it didn't work, so why did they keep trying? Several alchemists had already stopped by to ask when she would be leaving. Havoc assured them it wouldn't be long, but time continued to pass.

Gina wanted to talk to Al. He was the only one who had any idea what was going on and yet the moment they arrived, Mustang kicked her out of his office. Why? What was so secretive?

She barely stifled a yawn and glanced over at Lieutenant Havoc. He looked as bored as herself, but was trained to withstand it. She wasn't.

"Maybe I could go back to the church."

"How much can you do on your own?"

"It's not just that. I like to be there. If I close my eyes, sometimes it almost feels like I'm home."

Havoc gave a comforting smile and began walking. She hurried to catch up and privately thanked Mustang for leaving her with such an understanding person.

As she sat in the back seat of the car, Gina went over the little Al told her of his journey. It must have been nice finding himself at home and so close to friends. It was odd thinking that in this strange world the Nazis still wanted her dead. If the building had blown up after all, she would have—

Havoc happened to glance into the rear-view mirror and saw his passenger's eyes wide with the shock of some revelation.

"Is something wrong?"

She looked as if she was about to tell him, but instead bit her lower lip and shook her head nervously without meeting his eyes. "I can't tell you until I speak to Al about it."

In a way she felt extremely stupid. The bomb should have been the first thing she thought of when he showed up! How had she forgotten? The only reason she'd hidden it was to keep it safe until either of the Elrics showed up. They were the only ones she felt she could trust.

The second Havoc pulled up to the curb she was out of the car and hurrying to the side entrance. He stared after her a moment before shrugging and settling down in the seat, practically asleep within five minutes. If he'd been more attentive he might have seen a figure creep past the car and into the church.

:Q:

Ed gave Roze a meaningful look before entering the building. She held Michel's hand and pointed to some of the features in the square outside Headquarters to keep him from getting bored. Inside, nobody paid any attention to him at first, and then a woman with short dark hair gave a startled gasp and pushed through a group of soldiers.

"Edward!"

He was surprised to recognize her. "Lieutenant Ross!"

She suddenly seemed to remember who she was addressing and came up short with a curt salute. "Sir! It's good to see you again." Despite the formality, her eyes continued to shine with gladness.

"I need to find Mustang. Is he here?"

"Yes sir! Follow me." The second lieutenant began leading the way and shot a look back at him. "I arrived two days ago, but apparently someone from your adventure came here last week."

"Gina?"

"I believe that was her name. Apparently the alchemists don't like her, though. They are always complaining about her, but no one has said why. I suspect it's due to Lt. Colonel Mustang's preoccupation with her that distracts him from other duties."

"Why would he be preoccupied with her?"

Ross didn't answer, seeing as they had arrived at Mustang's office. Ed reached for the handle just as he heard a familiar voice shout, "If you do, I'll take her away no matter who I have to hurt!"

He burst into the room crying, "Al!"

His brother broke off the glare he and Mustang were sharing. A grin covered his face and he started to greet Ed, but stopped as he remembered why he'd been so upset less than a minute earlier. "They want to put Gina in prison."

"I did not say that, Alphonse. I told you she needs to be confined for her own protection."

The Fullmetal Alchemist glanced between them. "Exactly what is going on?"

Before anyone could answer, the Lt. Colonel's phone started ringing. He started to ignore it, but with another glance at the Elrics, he seemed to decide that postponing his explanation would be the less trying choice.

"What?" Mustang demanded angrily into the receiver. His face changed to one of surprise. "Where are you? … _Why?_ … And you left her alone?! … I'm on my way." He hung up and looked at the boys. "Havoc took Gina back to the church and someone is holding her hostage."

_It has come to my attention that the Thule Society has captured Envy. He doesn't know I'm here, but his cries for vengeance are impossible to ignore. Guilt eats away at me. Will I never be able to escape my greatest failure and shame? The only reason I have not died, although my body's decay has become excruciating, is the fact that my mission is not yet over. It has begun to grow clear to me though…_

_**from the journal of Hohenheim 1 week prior to his death**_

**One thing about today's society that drives me absolutely nuts is that most modern churches are hardly distinguishable from meeting halls. Not too long ago people used to spend a lifetime or more to build a church (it took over 600 years to complete the Cologne Cathedral in Germany), but now if a structure takes more than a year to build people grumble about costs and time. Shows what really mattered to them and now what matters to us.  
Okay, poll time! I don't believe I've asked my reviewers about their hobbies. I'm sure most of you will say writing or reading fanfics, but I'd like to know anyway!  
I have a long list, and even though they're already on my profile I'll put them here too: ****horseback riding, dancing, hiking, camping, star gazing, cross-stitching, daydreaming, watching good anime, and going to Renaissance Faires.**


	12. Implosion

**Just to make up for my very long wait, this is a super-long chapter (compared to the others). I was really nervous about how to pull this one off, but I really hope I managed to get my idea across w/o butchering it completely. **

** Chapter 12: Implosion**

_How did I learn all this? No documents or people on this side of the Gate could provide me with such information and I doubt even my home world would be able to either. And yet I've always found that my intuitions are correct in one form or another. But now that I stop and consider how many times in the past I've come up against a solid barrier in my research, my hunches—my intuitions—reveal themselves to be catalysts for learning mountains more. It is impossible. I know that very well. No man by himself could have discovered so many mysteries and their secrets on nothing more than 'intuition'. Someone has been guiding me all along…and I've only just realized it. Too many coincidences. This is design._

_**from the journal of Hohenheim 40 days prior to his death**_

Gina Matusek started to reach for the stone underneath the steps that hid the bomb from view but stopped. She was afraid. What if she set it off by accident?

Now that she thought about it, why had she been in such a rush to get back when Al was still in Mustang's office? Why did she never think things through?

She went inside instead and walked up to the steps before the altar. The girl sat there and leaned against the marble railing. The priest at her old church used to let her do this when everyone else was gone. Even if just for a moment, things felt familiar.

With her eyes closed, she could almost catch the smell of worn carpet rather than settled dust. Even the wind was still today, giving her the momentary illusion that the windows weren't shattered, but rather complete with beautiful images of Biblical scenes, angels and saints.

Sadly, though, even the serenity of this place couldn't keep the constant questions from assaulting her.

Why was she there? What was her purpose in such a place? Such a world? She had been unimportant in her own, so why had that suddenly changed? How could she be the key to a gateway she didn't even know about? The gateway…

When Mustang had asked how she arrived, Gina denied any memory of the event, but at the sight of Al pieces of it came flying to her mind. She wanted to do anything she could to help, and if remembering was the best she could give, then she would do it.

Gina sat and tried to recall as much as she could. From the little Al had shared with her before they reached Headquarters, she had sent only him and a small group of Germans to his hometown.

For some reason, that very simple detail struck a chord deep in her half-forgotten memories. She felt as though she'd had an elusive dream that vanished at waking, and some random occurrence during the daylight hours brought back a myriad of images that made no sense.

That odd violet light and some faces she could remember easily. But the reason for her sudden return of memories was more difficult to pin down.

"Choices!" she realized at last, eyes flying open as she smiled triumphantly. She gazed up at the place over the altar where a crucifix would have been. "I had a choice where to send them. Only certain places, but I could still make a decision. I wish I hadn't separated the three of us, though. I don't think I meant to…but they wanted to go to other places, so I let them. Maybe the reason I found myself here was because I wanted to be with _Tatko_…but the Lt. Colonel was the closest…"

Gina trailed off, not sure what to call him. That man certainly wasn't her father, just as that clumsy secretary wasn't her kind, graceful mother. But even so, every time she saw either of them she wanted to believe they really were her parents, different but at least alive.

Her brow wrinkled. "But how did that horrible…_thing_ get here? Maybe Ed was holding it and let go when we passed through the Gate."

There was a footstep behind her and she inwardly cringed, thinking that Havoc had overheard her and was now curious about what she meant. Before she could turn, a hand gripped her arm roughly, hauling her to her feet and twisting her around.

"So you did it on purpose!"

Gina was confronted by the burnt face of an old man she hardly recognized, but his heartless voice was still the same.

"Y-You—"

"Little brat!" Richter shook her so hard that her head snapped back. "I lost everything! Where is it? Where did you send it?!"

Gina's throat tightened and she stammered a denial, but he ignored it. His eyes blazed with fury and his fingers squeezed her arms painfully.

"You see these scars, girl? Your doorway stole my gold and when I tried to take it back _this_ happened." He pointed savagely to the burnt area of his face where the skin had blistered badly and tightened so that he couldn't help but display a horrible grimace.

The young girl cringed back, unable to get away and too frightened to scream.

"There were four others in that dark cavern beneath this wretched city, but they abandoned me. Some fools living down below revived me, and then I came searching for you. How convenient that you were giving supplies and telling stories to so many refugee rats. It still took me time to find you and longer yet to catch you alone." He leaned so close she was nearly stifled by his rancid breath. "Now where is the bomb?"

"Why do you think I would know?"

He tightened his hold painfully and sneered down at her. "Your frightened little rabbit-eyes just answered my question. Where did you hide it?"

"I can't hide something I don't know about."

She didn't see the fist coming but she opened her eyes to find herself lying on the floor. Her jaw felt numb and there was a silvery taste in her mouth.

"I won't ask again."

The numbness was leaving, replaced by a sharp stab of pain every time she moved. Gina wiped her mouth and saw saliva and blood on her hand, then she noticed the hand itself shaking.

She shook her head again. "I don't—"

Richter's eyes grew even more maddened and he stomped down hard on her ankle with his boot. The girl heard more than felt a dull snap in her left leg and for an instant her only response was a startled gasp. Then the stabbing sensation of burning struck her full force and Gina screamed, sudden tears streaking down her face as she curled protectively over her ankle. She held her hands to it, trying to ease the pain but only feeling more.

Gina looked up at Richter through the tears. It struck her suddenly how much she was afraid of this man. He didn't care who he hurt or how many lives he took as long as he got what he wanted.

"Where?" he demanded. "I could always break your other leg."

Her trembling finger pointed to the side exit. "Th-the steps!" she choked out.

He strode outside and was back within a minute, a deranged smile twisting his face as he held the thing of dirty metal and unfathomable power. As he stood over her in triumph, Gina took a deep breath and managed to speak in a steady voice.

"You have it, now let me go."

Without warning he slapped her savagely. "I didn't say anything about freeing you!"

The jolt jerked her leg and she screamed again, which only served to fuel his growing rage.

"I'm not finished. You had this, and now I want the gold I lost."

Gina's mind was a whirlwind of confusion. She threw out the first name that came to mind. "Mustang, Lt. Colonel Mustang!"

"_He_ has it?!" Richter looked as though he was ready to kill her, and then he hesitated, his expression becoming suddenly cunning. "As long as I have you, he'll do anything. You are the key to the Gate after all. Where's your good-for-nothing bodyguard?"

"Here!" the blond man in uniform stood just inside the main entrance, gun drawn and aiming straight at the old man. "Release her _now._"

"Lieutenant!" Gina cried out in relief, but then Richter lifted her up and crouched partially behind her. She kept her hurt limb from touching the ground, but still had to bite back a cry as it shifted.

"I wouldn't fire, soldier! I can kill her quicker than you can shoot me and there's no guarantee you'll miss her at this angle. Be a good lad and go tell your Lieutenant Colonel to fetch the gold she brought with her or else I'll make sure she dies a very messy death."

Gina felt cool metal slide along her throat and stiffened, hardly daring to breathe. She could see dried blood on the knife.

Havoc lowered his weapon and slowly backed away. "He'll be here in half an hour."

As soon as he was outside, the lieutenant took off running for the nearest house with a telephone. If he'd told that insane old man there was no gold then he would have slit Gina's throat for sure! His best chance was to get Mustang and enough soldiers to the church as quickly as possible.

Whatever that object was, it was important enough for the kid to hide and important enough for the crazy guy to torture her in order to get it.

:Q:

"Roze, you and Michel stay here," Ed ordered as he followed Mustang toward the waiting car. "Something's happening to our friend and I want you both safe."

The desert woman picked up her son as he tried to run to Al. "You need to keep _yourself_ safe, Edward. I won't forgive you if you die without hearing the rest of the promise I made."

Both teenagers drew up short and looked back at her. Ed started to open his mouth when Mustang called their names. He cast her one last glance before running down the steps. Other soldiers were piling into trucks around them.

The moment they had closed the door Riza Hawkeye hit the accelerator. Al nudged his brother.

"Was Roze talking about the promise she made about never marrying?"

"How do you know about it?"

Al shrugged as if it wasn't important, but the way he tilted his eyebrows implied otherwise. "She told me a long time ago when I first woke up after our adventure. Winry was there and you should have seen the look on her face. I thought she was going to pop!"

"What does Winry have to do with Roze's promise?"

"It's not her. It's the exception to the rule. Roze promised never to marry a man unless it was the one who 'set her free and bound her with gold at the same time'."

"What the—?" Ed stammered for a second. "You're reading too much into it. Gina's been kidnapped and this is the only thing you can think about? You must not be very concerned about her."

"I am too! Don't worry. We'll be able to help her as long as—"

Mustang interrupted, "You boys didn't know that Gina has an anti-alchemic field around her?"

They started and gave the officer a dumbfounded look.

"I have been unable to do any measuring, but if I had to guess I would say at least one hundred yards in every direction with her at the center. I suspect it's farther, but the only way to be certain is to test it, and now is not the time."

"You mean we…we can't help at all?" Al seemed thunderstruck.

Ed shook his head. "Our old man made a hint or two in his journal that there might be a difference in her ability on this side of the Gate, but I was hoping it was just a random guess."

The man with an eye patch grabbed Ed's shoulder. "I'm bringing you both because Gina deserves to see her friends, not because I need you to use Alchemy. Let me handle this."

"Why did you make so many allowances for her?" Ed demanded. "You knew she was 'valuable' and yet you let her go wherever she wanted with no one but Havoc. Why?"

Mustang paused. "I knew all along the military would want to put her away for her own safety or its own selfish reasons, but no matter how many chances she had to run away, she stayed. I gave Havoc specific orders to let her go if she made a break for it."

Al stared at him with astonishment. "Wait! But back in your office you said—"

"Exactly. The office the _military_ provided me with. Do you really think we weren't being observed? Hawkeye and I have been giving our listeners wrong leads for over a week while waiting for you two to show up. They've been searching for you in the south."

"You mean you're going to release her?"

"If it's possible at this point, yes. We have to focus on what to do now."

Mustang outlined a quick strategy for his men while giving one last thought to the reason he was so willing to let the young girl go free: fathers should do anything for their daughters.

:Q:

"I've read Hohenheim's journal countless times over the past two months. He implied the use of Alchemy was a possibility in our world in proximity to you, and when that turned out to be true, I assumed his other theory would be correct as well: you prevent them from using it on this side of the Gate."

Gina sat where he'd dropped her and listened, hoping to catch something she could use against him. He kicked the little wooden cross she'd made for the children and it cracked, then he held up the weapon she had given him.

"Now this is true art. It took me ages to discover how it worked. Difficult to do without setting it off. You see this extension here? There is a spring underneath it. Depending on how hard I press it, the delay before the detonation can be longer or shorter. When it resumes its former position…" He trailed off into a sadistic laugh.

A shadow appeared in the main entrance bearing a firearm. Richter yanked Gina up again and she let out an instinctive cry as her burning ankle moved.

"Get back now!" he shouted.

The figure withdrew and Richter began to snarl. He half-carried his hostage over to the exit and stepped outside with no caution.

"I said I wanted my gold! This little display of your force is no threat to me!"

The sunlight blinded her for a few seconds but she heard a shout go up followed by the tramp of marching feet. Blue uniforms came into focus but she couldn't recognize anyone.

She caught Mustang's voice, "We know nothing of gold, but you are outnumbered thirty to one. Release the girl and we'll spare you."

But Richter laughed at them all. "You think you can stop me? Just try it!"

Ed clapped his hands instantly at the challenge but the Alchemy he expected to use was not there at his command. He stared at his palms in anger and then clenched them into fists, throwing a dangerous look at the pair on the church steps. Mustang glanced down at him with something like irritation.

"I told you before, Fullmetal, my men will take care of this. Alchemy is no help here." He saw a woman approach, her state-issued pocket watch swinging from its chain. "Ethertrace! What are you doing here?"

She slid to a stop in front of them, breathing hard. "I wanted to help."

Richter thrust his limping prisoner out in front of him as a warning and then held up the bomb.

Ed's expression turned to one of shock. "I don't know how it got though the Gate, but that thing he's holding is a bomb! And I wouldn't put it past him to blow everything and himself up. He's halfway insane."

"You mean you brought a weapon when you came back?!"

"Didn't have much of a choice at the time, _Lieutenant Colonel_."

The old man with the burnt face swung the bomb outward in an arc. "I want every man here at least fifty yards away now!"

He chuckled as the cowed soldiers hurried to obey. Even the Elric brats and Lt. Colonel Mustang were backing away, though reluctantly. They were so helpless without their precious Alchemy.

Gina's head reeled from dizziness and pain. Richter wrenched her forward again and a helpless scream burst from her throat as sudden weight was placed on her broken ankle. A familiar shout came from the crowd but she couldn't tell if it was Ed or Al.

Then despite the tears blurring her vision, she saw her _father._ Not Mustang. It was her father the way she'd seen him eons ago, almost directly in front of her now. He wore a suit with a missing tie and twisted collar as if he'd only just come home from work. The short coat with a pin of the Slovakian flag on its cuff was so close she could reach out and touch it.

"_Tatko?_" She was too shocked to do more than stare at him.

He didn't speak. Only smiled and reached out to touch her cheek.

The pain stemming from her ankle dampened and her head cleared. Impulsively she rammed into Richter with all her strength and they both tumbled down the steps. He went sprawling and she looked back—but her father was gone. The pain was also coming back, but she shoved it aside and scrambled forward.

The bomb had fallen to the ground and she grasped it, but Richter seized it too. She saw a mad gleam in his eyes as he shouted, "It was my idea! Mine! No one can take it away from me!"

His fingers caught the catch on the top and Gina nearly froze with panic. If he pressed it she knew the bomb would arm itself! One look at his face and she knew he wasn't thinking rationally.

"It's _mine!_" he sneered and his hand moved.

Gina grappled with him but couldn't wrestle the bomb away. She unexpectedly brought her elbow up and it connected with Richter's throat. He fell back, coughing, and released his hold on the bomb. She looked down at it and saw she was too late: the small protrusion had been pressed.

"Oh no!" she gasped.

There was a gunshot and she ducked automatically. A knife blade clattered to the ground beside her and the old scientist toppled over, his hands scrabbling for the bomb before growing still. Blood had splattered all across her left side and she covered her face with a shriek, fingers digging into her skull as if to keep her thoughts together. She was terrified, but knew that there was more danger here.

Gina's eyes cracked open and she saw Havoc lower his gun. He started to approach but she waved her bloodied arms frantically to keep back.

"Run! It's armed!"

She could hear Mustang giving orders for his men to fall back, but she turned her thoughts to the weapon. There was no way the alchemists could stop it while she was there and she couldn't run with a broken ankle. All of them would be killed and perhaps much of the city would be destroyed.

As she knelt there helplessly staring at the bomb, someone knelt down beside her. She looked up and recognized the person. Someone who looked just like Sheska.

"_Mamička_... Now all I can do is die…accomplishing _nothing!_" she cried.

The woman with light brown hair and glasses smiled warmly at her daughter. She gazed toward Ed, who refused to give up and kept trying to use his Alchemy. With her mother there, Gina's eyes changed. Afterward when she tried to describe it to Al the only thing she could compare it to was an autostereogram she'd seen once, and how a hidden three-dimensional image had popped out when she managed to readjust her eyes. It was that "readjustment" she experienced as she saw his Alchemy appearing in lines of blue for a moment before spinning off into nothing.

"I don't understand. Why is it doing that?"

Her mother enfolded her arms around Gina and the young girl felt her hair being smoothed gently. She closed her eyes.

"My dear, He made you so much stronger than you think you are."

When Gina's eyes opened again she was alone beside the bomb. She could still see a faint trail where Ed's Alchemy had faded away into the air. Actually it seemed more solid than a mere thread of residual energy. In fact…she could feel it almost physically even though it seemed impossible with the distance between them.

Then she understood.

One hand reached out and closed into a tight fist, the Alchemy responding to her call and making her hand alight with blue sparks. She wrapped it around the bomb and suddenly its inner workings became apparent to her. She knew nothing of how explosives worked, so there was no way to stop it...but she could suppress it if she had more Alchemy at her disposal!

Gina's new awareness of the bomb gave her knowledge she would rather have not known, in a way. She only had perhaps two minutes to prevent the city and everyone in it from being destroyed. Two minutes left to live.

"Try it again!" she screamed at Ed.

Even from that far away she could almost see his brow creasing in confusion, but he responded and this time the blue threads remained rather than dispersing. Gina gathered the energy and threw her hand outward, a spherical barrier beginning to take shape between herself and the others. Still not enough!

She turned her helpless gaze on him and understanding lit his eyes.

"She's using _my_ Alchemy. Mustang!"

He clapped then hit the ground, sending as much energy as he could toward the girl. She reached out and grabbed the thin wire as if it was solid, connecting the two of them. Ed dropped to his knees and stared fixedly at her, his eyes bulging as if he was going to be sick. She was drawing on it directly through him.

"She needs...more..." he gasped out, sweat trickling down the side of his face.

"I'll help, kid," Mustang said.

Despite noticing the obvious strain Ed was under, he snapped his fingers sending a red strand into the circle. Gina snagged it and with a grunt Mustang was forced to his knees as well. Ethertrace followed their example and gave Gina access to her Alchemy.

Al surveyed the sight in confusion. He knew that on Earth her influence allowed it, but it was clear that on Amestris anyone within a certain range was unable to use Alchemy. It was fact! So what was happening?

The truth began to dawn on him: there was no proof that the Alchemy disappeared; merely that they couldn't use it around her. She couldn't access it on her own…but if someone _gave_ it to her, she could do whatever she wanted with it. If she didn't do anything with it, then it just vanished, giving the illusion that she blocked it…

He clapped his hands too and sent his own strand of energy to her and she caught it instantly. For a second he felt as if his innards were being torn out. But then the link disconnected so suddenly that he fell over. He couldn't understand why she'd let go. Was it possible she already had too much Alchemy for her body to handle?

The power of three alchemists combined to form an opaque barrier. Gina had never used Alchemy before and although she put everything she had into the barrier, every heartbeat leaked energy from her grasp, creating a maelstrom around her. Everything inside was complete turmoil as wind and dust hid her from view.

It suddenly struck Al that she was going to die if she was in the barrier with the bomb.

Then it went off!

A white glow filled the sphere. The earth shook violently but as if muffled. Everything inside was shattering! Then it seemed everything was being pulled inward. The air cleared quickly and then the barrier collapsed. An explosive roar burst out and Al fell back covering his ears.

When he looked back up, there was nothing but a crater in the middle of the street, as if something had simply scooped up everything inside and disappeared with it.

Al could hear nothing besides the intense ringing in his ears, but he still scrambled toward the empty pit, ignoring his barely-conscious brother and the two State Alchemists. He called her name even though he couldn't even hear his own voice. The whole world was only made up of one sound.

He reached the center. Nothing. Absolutely nothing left to show where she'd been. Not even debris.

The boy fell to his knees, staring without seeing. It didn't make sense. There was no way the bomb could have imploded. But how else could this have happened?

The air in front of him shifted as though there was a shadow beyond an invisible curtain. The space seemed to mirror itself from a hundred angles and then all the mirrors merged, creating a black figure. Like dawn, colors and texture took form and Gina became fully visible, kneeling before him.

Al gaped without realizing, but she looked straight at him with her sad, tempest-gray eyes.

"They're dead. My parents are…"

She collapsed.

_It is time to make the choice. I will atone for my sins, let Envy have the revenge he has desired so much that it has destroyed him, create a way for Edward to return home, and allow Regina to find her strength. Am I doing the right thing? How do I know? Is there a way to find out other than plunging into the fire? Regardless, I will face death without fear. All creatures die…_

_**from the journal of Hohenheim 3 days prior to his death**_

**I can't end it here, I know. There are still things to wrap up! It didn't turn out as badly as I thought it would. At least nothing like living pizza showed up to steal attention from my main characters.**

**As for the poll (if you don't want to make a comment on how…**_**different**_** this chapter was) I've asked about things y'all like, but what about a movie or two you think should be banned for listless plot, horrible actors, or even an ending that prompts a rather disgusted expression followed by the words, "I just wasted two hours of my life!"  
In other words, what movies should never, ever **_**ever**_** be watched if you want to keep your sanity?**

**My answer: Ella Enchanted, Idiocracy, and Duncan the Singing Donut (hey, I was 8 years old and the TV was on!).**


	13. Epilogue

**I would have submitted this yesterday, but I fell asleep watching a movie and woke up on the couch at 5:30 this morning. Well, happy birthday to my fanfic! Took me a year and a day, but I got it done!**

**And if anyone else is interested in Qoheleth's Malachy O'Moore Challenge, I have a link to his profile in my profile. It's worth it!**

**Chapter**** 13: Epilogue**

Edward Elric found Roze at the home of Gracia and Alicia Hughes where she and her son had been welcomed warmly. The children were playing out back with a litter of kittens, supervised by the widow of the household, leaving the two young adults alone inside.

"So she woke up this morning?" the woman prompted.

"Yeah. Three days in a coma and then suddenly she wakes up and won't stop crying. She should be grateful to be alive with all her limbs still attached, but losing parents is always hard. I shouldn't trivialize her mourning."

"Did you give her the letter you found inside the journal?"

He nodded. "I left it in the room, but I don't know if she noticed. I'll be back later this afternoon to check on her."

"What about Mustang's plan?"

"He's got most of it worked out, but Gina is the one who still has to fake losing her abilities. If she can figure out how to allow people to use Alchemy instead of blocking it, the military will have no choice but to release her. He's already convinced most of them that she's no threat, especially with that display the other day."

Roze leaned back in the chair with a relieved sigh. "I'm glad."

A grandfather clock in the corner bonged eleven times and, as if it had cast a spell, they didn't speak until it was through tolling the hour. Ed felt that time was running short and if he didn't mention it now, he never would.

"Al told me you mentioned your promise to him," he started awkwardly. "That you've been waiting for someone to free you and bind you."

Her mouth turned up in a shy smile as she half-turned away from him in embarrassment. "It's a phrase those in Liore use sometimes. It comes from a poem about a woman who had a friend called away to war, and while he was gone she was imprisoned on false charges."

Roze paused and glanced at him as though not sure whether he was willing to listen. His attentive gaze both set her at ease and unnerved her at the same time, but she continued in a stronger voice.

"She remained in the darkness without any light for so long that she began to forget what the sun was like. Two years later the war was won and the man returned only to find his dearest friend imprisoned. He was able to convince the jailers of her innocence but when she was finally released, she hid inside and refused to come out because the sun burned her weakened eyes."

Ed noticed her expression change as she looked inward, no longer seeing a withered girl from a story, but herself.

"He understood her pain, and only coaxed her outside at night by starlight, and then by the moon, and then longer and longer until she could bear the coming dawn. Eventually she was able to walk beneath the sun as she had long before. One day as she laughed and danced in full daylight, she stopped and stared deep into his eyes, saying, 'You set me free and bound me with gold at the same time. I will never forsake you as long as I live.' And theirs grew into a love brighter than the sun."

He lowered his eyes. "You think I'm…this man, don't you?"

She didn't answer at first. Roze considered her words carefully before opening her mouth. "I've tried to wait patiently. I've told myself over and over that you may not return my feelings, and if you had feelings for another I would accept it. As long as I never knew for sure, I always had hope that you were waiting too. I wanted to know and I didn't want to know at the same time.

"But now that we're here I can't use your absence as an excuse to ignore this decision anymore. Edward, I always believed you led me out of the darkness, and I will never forsake you…but I need to know whether I have reason to hope or if I should move on."

Ed started to reassure her, but stopped. In the past he'd always been motivated by feelings of guilt and responsibility toward her, but to answer her question truthfully he had to cast those aside. All the uncertainty and doubts he'd lived with for years crowded in on him. _What if— what if— what if— _played through his mind, but he realized he would never make a choice if he kept using them.

What did he _really_ want?

In a moment he knew. He knew why he'd never held any of the women he had met too closely. It was fear of loss, and also fear of success. It all went back to his mother.

As soon as the realization hit him, Ed could see clearly what he saw in Roze: her weakness and strength and especially the beauty that shone from deep inside were exactly like his mother's. He'd been waiting for her his entire life, and he'd be damned if he was about to let her go just because he was afraid.

As he rose to his feet, Roze saw the resolution in his face. She threw herself at him with joyful weeping.

:Q:

Gina had no tears left. Exhaustion had mostly spent her grief and she lay in bed, staring out the window with a gaze that spoke of the beginning of a new purpose.

That day when the young girl had clutched the bomb, praying desperately for a miracle, the world had shifted. The explosive crumbled to pieces in her fingers as she found herself not on Earth, but some in-between place.

There, she could see two worlds. They were not spheres seen from a void beyond the atmosphere, nor were they mirror images of countrysides from two different places. Rather, both worlds seemed to overlap, their differences creating a wholeness so that one by itself felt incomplete. Gina knew instinctively that they had been one world long ago and would be again someday if she could learn to send and summon people from one to the other. Her actions might break the chain of parallelism and be the key to uniting them.

…and she also knew that the place she called home was forever barred from her. The only one she could return to was Amestris.

Ever since returning, her dreams had been full of vivid rolling dunes stretching into the distance, only broken by the remains of a ruined city. Over and over the dream repeated itself until she was convinced it was no dream.

She had to go there. Wherever that place was, she had to find it.

Gina's eyes settled on the letter on a table beside the bed. Ed had placed it there when she'd woken early that morning. Her name was written across the front in Hohenheim's handwriting and she picked it up guardedly. She unsealed it and as she read, her throat tightened.

_Regina,_

_What can I possibly say that would express my thoughts correctly? I have always had a certain talent for research and discovery, though I am convinced not all due to my own skills. Still, over the past two years while I wrote in these journals and sought truths I had no way to prove, Someone was guiding me. _

_I do not know what the future may have in store for you, but if I was a tool used by the Almighty to bring so many things to light, then I have no doubt you yourself will have nothing short of a great destiny. I wish I could go back to Amestris, but my time in that world is long over. It is your turn now._

_Never forget who you are and where you came from. Always keep your roots in mind, with truth, beauty, and goodness at the source. _

_Your father told me once, long ago that we should be _de cruce apostolica._ It's inevitable that everyone will experience pain and suffering, but those who follow the Christ, who bear the Apostolic Cross, can give meaning to that suffering especially in service to our Creator. It becomes redemptive. _

_We also have a greater responsibility to others because we know what they do not. I thank Him every day that your father passed that knowledge on to me. How I wish I could bring it back to Amestris and revive the church that I personally had a hand in destroying…_

_Those who are_ de cruce apostolica_ have pride in the great lineage handed down and the zeal to take it up themselves. I hid the flag your father entrusted to me in the binding of my journal. It is important in more ways than these._

_Your devoted servant,_

_Hohenheim _

Gina's hands scrambled for the journal and she almost tore off the leather cover with an image of the Amestrian lion. A carefully rolled cloth had been sewn down the middle and the girl snapped the threads with her teeth to free it. As the memorable flag of Slovakia unfurled, she bit her lip to keep from sobbing. _De cruce apostolica_…she remembered now, and it was so much more than Hohenheim had mentioned. She would never let herself forget again.

The letter in the jail cell came back to her from so long ago. What was it Noah had written…?

"…_I saw a cross in your hands as you stood alone in a desert, and that was the most important of all, even though you did nothing but weep over it. And then you were no longer alone…"_

It suddenly struck her why she had been having the dreams about a city in the desert: people from Earth would appear there. It was the _only_ place she could send them because every other Gate was closed. But why there, of all places?

"I never thought I would be driven into the desert," she said with a wry chuckle.

"I'll go with you."

Gina's head shot up and she blushed, realizing she had been observed. Al stood in the doorway as if not sure he was allowed. She laid aside the journal and flag, beaming in his direction.

"I'm glad. It would be dull without one of the Elric brothers to help me get in and out of scrapes. So strange that I've always adored trees and rivers and gardens, but now I'll be going to a place where none of those are."

"Alchemy doesn't just affect inanimate things. I wouldn't give up on your garden just yet," Al said mysteriously. His expression changed as he approached nervously and reached into his pocket, bringing out the silver crucifix on its chain. "We found this in the other world and I thought you might like it back."

She didn't say a word. Her hands closed around it and she held it tightly beneath her chin, eyes clenched shut with emotion. After a few moments she cracked a heartfelt smile of relief and pulled him down by the arm so that she could give him a proper hug.

"You have no idea, no idea…"

When she released him, he held her just an instant longer.

"I had a chance to read Dad's journal, and he kept writing about your religion. The problem is, he put half his thoughts in the other journal and so those in the one we have only make half the sense they should. I just wanted to know why your, uh, necklace has a…" He seemed to be searching desperately for another term, but finally gave up. "…a dead body on it."

Gina opened her hand and showed it to him. "It looks like the ultimate defeat, doesn't it? The truth is that it's a reminder of the greatest triumph in the world and the greatest moment in the universe. It's a long story, though."

"I'll start small," he said, giving her a grin.

"Don't you know the smallest things grow fastest?"

**Ah! Finally it is complete! I did get a couple remarks about Chapter 12's spiritual element not quite fitting the series, but just so everybody knows, I chose to do it based on the ghostly appearance of Hughes after his death waving at Ed. I figured if they could do it there, then I could do it here.**

**Thank y'all for reading! I was scared to death of this story since it was such a different type than I'm accustomed to doing, but I got so many encouraging reviews that I decided to finish and now I'm really glad I did (even if Ed wound up w/ Roze). To everyone who reviews this chapter, I will send you a long thoughtful Thank You.**

**_Whoa whoa whoa!_ Hold everything! I think there's one last thing that needs to be settled. It's not a proper chapter, but we'll see how you like it...  
**


	14. Bonus

**Hi everyone! Even though my story is labeled as "finished" someone suggested that I add this tiny fragment to wholly complete it. Not much, but after a lot of consideration I decided to submit it.  
**

Aaron lay in the shade of a partly-fallen column, staring silently up at the clear white sky. The city of Ishbal spread out around him. Usually nobody came here, but ever since his father's death, he had felt the need for solitude. It was his own way of grieving.

The very instant after he gave a tired sigh and closed his eyes, a peal of thunder cracked directly above him. Aaron threw his arms over his head instinctively and didn't look up for a short while. When he finally did, his face showed only confusion.

The sky was still clear overhead, just as it was hundreds of miles away where a young girl had vanished between worlds and reappeared only seconds before the thunder sounded here.

On the far side of the ruins, a group of people who were bruised and starved stared at the desert around them. One boy gazed at his neighbors with wide, half-dead eyes.

"Are we alive?"

No one answered. No one was sure. One woman rose shakily to her feet and leaned against a broken pillar, barely able to support herself. She shaded her eyes and tried to see into the distance, but the world was too bright after the darkness of the room she and the others had just been in.

A wind blew past, tugging on her raven-dark hair and waving it like a banner. Fortunately someone saw it.

Aaron approached in something close to fear, but also concern since all the women and children appeared so weak. Every sorrowful thought of his deceased father vanished on the spot as he looked at the girl clutching the pillar and staring at him with a mixture of pleading and defiance.

"Are you refugees?"

They stared at him, close-lipped and unsure of his loyalties. He held up his hands disarmingly.

"Don't worry, I'm a friend. I'll get some folks to bring water and supplies here as soon as possible. Would one of you mind coming with me to Liore to explain? I can only carry one person on my motorcycle."

She glanced at the people and one of the mothers holding her emaciated ten-year-old child to her breast nodded. The woman turned back to him and took an unsteady step forward.

"Whoa, careful! I hope you can hold onto me while I drive. All of you are pretty weak. Here, you can have my water. You seem to need it more anyway."

She accepted the canteen graciously, but gave it to one of the women behind her. They carefully passed it around, making sure everyone had a sip, and then the extra was given to those who needed it the most.

He felt guilty for not offering sooner. "Uh, my name's Aaron."

"I'm Noah," she whispered in a withered voice. "Is this…Amestris?"

**Again, thank you for reading my story and I hope this provided more closure than the previous ending. **


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